Game 16 - Missouri State Bears (9-6, 1-3 MVC) vs.  Murray State Racers (6-9, 3-1 MVC)
Date and Time	Wednesday, January 10, 2024 | 7:00 p.m. (Central)
Location	Great Southern Bank Arena (11,000) | Springfield, Missouri
Tickets	Tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office
Promos & Specials	Winter Ticket Special - $5 Bleacher Seats | 2023-24 Promo Calendar
Fan Info	Digital Program | Gates Open at 6:00 p.m.
Radio	KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Art Hains, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live | The Varsity Network App
Television	ESPN+ (Don West, Mike McClure) | Watch
Series	Series Tied, 4-4 | Last Meeting: Last Meeting: MSU 84, MUR 69 (2/21/23) | Box Score
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Missouri State | Murray State | MVC Weekly Release | MSU Media Guide
Follow	Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	The Bears travel to Evansville on Saturday, Jan. 13 (6:00 p.m.) Next home game: Saturday, Jan. 20 vs. Illinois State (1:00 p.m.) | Tickets

Accessibility
Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for those with disabilities. To request reasonable disability accommodations, contact the Deputy Compliance Officer at (417) 836-6755 or DeputyComplianceOfficer@MissouriState.edu. 

The Ten Count

• Missouri State is back at Great Southern Bank Arena on Wednesday evening to square off with Murray State in a key Valley showdown (7 p.m., ESPN+). The Bears are looking to get back on track with a needed home game after winning 9 of their last 11 at The Vault, including a 5-1 home record this season.
• The Bears rank 15th nationally in effective field goal percentage defense (44.7), according to KenPom, which is the top performance in the Missouri Valley this season.
• Sixth-year head coach Dana Ford (98-71) is closing in on 100 wins with the Bears which would make him the eighth MSU coach to reach the century mark in victories. During Ford's six seasons as head coach at Missouri State (2018-present), the Bears are 58-21 (.734) at Great Southern Bank Arena, including a 2-0 mark against the Racers..
• The Bears have been out-rebounded the last two games, but still lead the Missouri Valley Conference in defensive rebounds per game (29.67), total rebounds per game (38.60) and rebound margin (4.6). The Bears rank 15th nationally in defensive rebounding average. MoState is 70-30 under coach Dana Ford when out-rebounding its opponents.
• Cesare Edwards (Jr., Hartsville, S.C.) is shooting 67.9 percent from two-point range, which ranks hims 52nd nationally. He has led the club in scoring (21.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.5) the last 2 games with a .680 FG percentage.
• Nick Kramer (RFr., St. Louis, Mo.) was 4-for-8 from 3-point range in two games last week and averaged 8.0 points per game to earn MVC Freshman of the Week laurels.
• N.J. Benson (So., Mt. Vernon, Ill.) 9th in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage (18.2) and 17th in blocked shot percentage (10.4). He is averaging 3.3 blocks per game at home this season. Benson also ranks 21st nationally in blocks (33) and blocks per game (2.20), both 2nd in the MVC and leads the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (3.0).
• Defensively, the Bears rank 18th among all Division I teams in 3-point FG percentage defense (.278), 47th in total FG percentage defense (.400) and 56th in blocked shots per game (4.7). 
• Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) needs 20 rebounds for 800 in his career and currently ranks 17th among active DI players in games played (142), 34th in rebounds (780) and 80th in scoring (1,469). His 858 points in 79 games as a Bear ranks him 44th on MSU's career scoring list. 
• Alston Mason (Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.) ranks 5th in the MVC in scoring (17.2) and 3-pointers per game (2.38). He is averaging a team-best 20.6 points per game at home this season with a .556 field goal percentage.
• Matthew Lee (Sr., San Juan, P.R.) has led the Bears in assists in 11 of the 13 games he has played as a Bear. He has collected 4.5 assists per game since his return to the MSU lineup last week and had 6 assists Saturday at Bradley.
• Raphe Ayres (Jr., Arlington, Va.) will be making his 50th career appearance. He has 70 career points and 70 rebounds.
• Murray State's JaCobi Wood leads the MVC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.48) and minutes per game (35.28). Likewise, Murray State's 9.2 turnovers per game as a team leads The Valley.

The Series

• The Bears and Racers have played eight times with the series tied 4-4, including four postseason meetings. 
• The clubs met twice in the NAIA national playoffs with Murray State winning an opening-round game in 1943, and the Bears beating the Racers in the 1952 national championship game. Also in the postseason, Missouri State defeated Murray State, 89-76 in the first round of the NIT (3/15/11). The Racers avenged the loss in the second round of the 2014 CIT, defeating the Bears, 66-63, in Springfield (3/19/14).  
• In their first meeting as Valley foes (1/28/23), Murray State made 14-of-17 free throws in the second half and held off a late surge from the visiting Bears in a 74-71 decision at Racer Arena. The Bears were led by a (then) career-high 22 points from Alston Mason and 14 points from Donovan Clay, while Damien Mayo Jr. notched a career-high 13. Murray State got 17 points apiece from Rob Perry and Brian Moore Jr. The decisive swing came with a 9-0 run from the Racers that included four straight trips to the free throw line. After Clay's layup on a lob from Mason gave MoState a 55-53 lead at the 10:52 mark, the visitors went scoreless for nearly five minutes while the Racers made their run. 
• In the return game in Springfield (2/21/23), Missouri State hit a season-high 13 three-pointers and had its first 50-percent shooting game since December, rolling to an 84-69 win. Clay led Missouri State with 19 points, while Mason racked up 18, and Kendle Moore contributed 14 in his final home game. The Bears, who tallied their 10th home win, never trailed and matched a season-high with 20 assists. Murray State was led by Rob Perry's 20 points, while JaCobi Wood added 16 for the visitors. The Bears lead 18-8 just over five minutes into the contest. | Box Score
• See page 8 of game notes for complete series history..

Coach Dana Ford

• Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 98-72 (.576) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 58-21 (.734) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 29-39 record in away games, and 11-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 155-137 (.531) in his tenth season as a head coach, including four seasons at Tennessee State. Ford is also 57-39 (.594) in Valley games (31-17 at home, 26-22 away).  
• Coach Ford is 3-5 all-time against Murray State (2-2 while at MSU, 2-0 at home).
• He picked up his 150th career win on Nov. 20, 2023 with the Bears' 87-69 win over Abilene Christian in the Virgin Islands and his 100th career victory on Feb. 7, 2021 with a Bears' win at Illinois State (72-62). He coached his 100th game at Missouri State on Dec. 15, 2021 vs. South Dakota State. His win over Oakland on Nov. 27, 2022 in The Bahamas was his 75th victory at MSU, while his OT victory at Drake on Jan. 18, 2023 was his 50th MVC win.
• In 2022-23, the new-look Bears featured 14 new faces and ultimately turned the squad into Valley contenders. The Bears landed an All-MVC selection in second-teamer Donovan Clay and All-Bench Team honoree Chance Moore. Clay, who was also on the MVC All-Defensive Team, led the Bears in scoring (11.9 ppg) and assists (108) while becoming the first Bear since 2018-19 to reach the century mark in assists. Moore averaged 10.6 points per game and racked up 17 double-figure scoring games.
• Ford's fifth season in Springfield concluded with a 12-8 conference record, making him the first sideline boss in program history to collect a dozen or more conference wins in three straight seasons. The Bears allowed just 63.2 points per game on the year, which ranked 24th nationally and was the club's best scoring defense in more than a decade. MSU also eclipsed its season record for blocked shots (140) -- a mark that had held for nearly a quarter century -- and ranked second in The Valley in rejections.
• He was introduced as Missouri State's 18th men's basketball coach on March 22, 2018 after coaching the previous four seasons at Tennessee State. The native of Tamms, Illinois was 57-65 (.467) at Tennessee State, including a 52-39 ledger in his last three seasons in Nashville. He coached five All-OVC players and two OVC All-Newcomer Team selections during his tenure at TSU. Under his leadership, TSU doubled its home attendance average and twice earned votes in the AP Top 25 poll in 2016-17. 
• Ford, 39, earned the Ben Jobe Award in 2016 as the nation's top Division I minority coach, a distinction he has been nominated for three times. That same year, he was named Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year and NABC District 19 Coach of the Year after engineering one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history, from a 5-26 record in his first season to a 20-11 mark in 2015-16.
• He has served as an assistant at Tennessee State, Wichita State and Illinois State and was responsible for recruiting future NBA talents such as Robert Covington (Clippers) and Fred Van Vleet (Rockets).
• Ford was recognized by 417 Magazine as one of its top 100 most-influential professionals in 2022 and 2023. He also serves on the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee.   

Rebound Foundation

• Bears' head coach Dana Ford and his wife, Christina, are founders of the Rebound Foundation. The not-for-profit raises funds and awareness to help renew and restore women who have experienced a life of domestic abuse. The foundation provides a stable home and fresh start to abuse victims and their children. The Rebound Foundation currently provides homes in Springfield, Mo., and Chicago, Ill.
• This year's Rebound Foundation Game is Saturday, Feb. 17 vs. Valparaiso
• Pledge to assist the Rebound Challenge today! Pledge Link