Game 3 - Missouri State Bears (1-1) vs.  Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-0)
Date and Time	Saturday, November 16, 2024 | 1:02 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	Beach Theme | Beach Shirts Giveaway | 2024-25 Promo Calendar
Fan Info	Digital Program | Gates Open at 12:00 p.m.
Radio	KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Art Hains, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live | The Varsity Network App
Television	ESPN+ (Tom Ladd, Don West) | Watch
Series	Series tied, 21-21 | Last Meeting: TU 73, MSU 72 (12/16/23) | Box Score
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Missouri State | Tulsa | 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	Up Next: Tuesday, Nov. 19 vs. UT Arlington (7:00 p.m.) | ESPN+ | 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 continues its three-game home stand on Saturday when the Bears entertain regional rival Tulsa at 1 p.m. The Bears are coming off a 90-61 win over Missouri Southern in their home opener Monday and look to build on coach Cuonzo Martin's 45-11 (.804) all-time record at Great Southern Bank Arena. 
• Saturday's game is a Beach Day theme with free beach shirts for the first 400 students and hundreds more being thrown out to fans throughout the game.
• In Monday's home opener, the Bears tied a Great Southern Bank steals record with 14 vs. Missouri Southern. The effort matched two previous occasions (SEMO vs. Missouri State in 2016 and MSU vs. SIU in 2020). The Bears currently rank 11th nationally in steals per game (13.5), tops in the MVC, while KenPom ranks the Bears No. 2 nationally in defensive steal percentage (19.3), just behind Marquette (19.4).
• Vincent Brady (Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.) made the most of his home debut on Monday, pouring in a game-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting with a pair of dunks, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
• During his career, Cuonzo Martin's teams are a combined 157-39 (.801) when they score 70 or more points.
• Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) ranks 14th nationally in steals per game (3.5). MSU's post sensation is coming off a game-high 13 rebounds against Missouri Southern, while his 9.5 rebounds per game on the young season leads the MVC and ranks 50th among all Division I players. 
• Zaxton King (Fr., Lawrence, Kan.) has scored in double figures in both of his first two collegiate ball games, following up his 12-point outing at Butler with 14 points against Missouri Southern on Monday. He is 9-of-17 (.529) from the field and 6-of-13 (.462) from beyond the arc, while averaging 13.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
• Mozae Downing-Rivers (Jr., Lawrence, Kan.) had an impressive home debut in Monday's win over Missouri Southern, distributing 7 assists (with just one turnover) in a 20-minute assignment off the bench.
• Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) is one of two Bears (with Zaxton King) to score in double figures in each of MSU's first two ball games. White enters the weekend tied for 2nd in The Valley in scoring average at 18.5 points per game, just behind Evansville's Gabriel Pozzato (19.0). White is also 8-for-8 at the FT line in 2024-25.
• Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) has been a model of consistency for the Bears in the early going, firing at a 60-percent clip from the field (6-of-10) with 8.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in two starts. KenPom ranks him 36th among all Division I players in effective field goal percentage (.833).
• Chase Martin (Sr., Columbia, Mo.) has provided a steady spark off the bench in the first two games, logging a career-high 14 points Monday and accounting for 40 percent of the Bears' total bench points this season. 

The Series

• Missouri State and Tulsa are tied in the all-time series, 21-21, including a 13-7 Bears advantage in games played in Springfield (3-1 at Great Southern Bank Arena). The Bears are also 6-14 all-time in Tulsa and 2-0 at neutral sites. 
• Last season in Tulsa (12/16/23), TU converted its last 10 free throw attempts and four of its last five field goals to steal a 73-72 decision. P.J. Haggerty posted a game-high 24 points for Tulsa to lead four players in double figures for the Golden Hurricane. Missouri State, which out-rebounded Tulsa by 21, was led by 17 points from Chance Moore and 13 apiece from Donovan Clay and Alston Mason. MSU led by as many as 10 in the second half and got a pull-up jumper from Mason with 4:04 remaining to give the visitors a 69-61 advantage. Tulsa ended the contest on a decisive 7-0 run – all by Haggerty -- including a game-winning three-point play with 2.9 seconds to go on the heels of a missed free throw by Mason moments earlier. The Bears converted just one of their last six field goal attempts down the stretch and missed three straight free throws in the final minute.  | Box Score
• In the last meeting in Springfield (12/13/15), Missouri State's 21-6 run in the second half nearly erased an 18-point deficit, but visiting Tulsa ended the game with an 8-2 outburst of its own to end the Bears' upset hopes in a 70-61 setback. The Bears got a team-high 17 points from Christ Kendrix with newcomers Dequon Miller and Ryan Kreklow pouring in 11 points apiece. MSU held a 43-38 rebounding advantage.

Coach Cuonzo Martin

• After an extensive national search, Missouri State University announced Cuonzo Martin as its men's basketball head coach on March 27, 2024. The man who orchestrated Missouri State's only MVC regular-season championship run during his first tenure in Springfield originally coached at Missouri State from 2008 to 2011.
• Martin begins his second tenure at MoState with a 265-199 (.571) career record in 15 seasons as a Division I head coach with experience at MSU, Tennessee, California and Missouri. His teams have made nine postseason appearances in that span, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament, four appearances in the NIT, and a CIT title with the Bears in 2010. 
• Coach Martin is also 62-42 (.596) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. He is 1-2 all-time vs. Tulsa.
• Martin also  boasts 56 college graduates during his head coaching career.
• A native of East St. Louis, Ill., Martin was a star player at Purdue from 1991-95 for coach Gene Keady and then played four years professionally. He was on the coaching staff at Purdue for eight years under Keady and Matt Painter before accepting his first head coaching position at MSU on March 26, 2008.
• In Martin's first stint in Springfield (2008-11), he was named Missouri State's 16th head coach in time for the program's 100th anniversary season and its inaugural campaign at Great Southern Bank Arena. In his second season (2009-10), Martin guided MoState to a 24-12 overall ledger, a 19-2 home record, and an impressive run to the CIT Postseason Tournament title.
• His third season at MSU (2010-11) was one of the program's most memorable, as the Bears finished 26-9 overall on the way to the program's first-ever MVC regular-season title with a 15-3 league record. The Bears fell to Indiana State in the finals of the MVC Tournament in St. Louis and capped an unforgettable campaign by advancing to the second round of the NIT. Martin was named 2011 MVC Coach of the Year and recipient of the Ben Jobe Award as the nation's top minority head coach. Over Martin's last two years at MoState, the Bears were 35-3 at home and did not lose a non-conference home game.
• Martin has made three head coaching stops since leaving Springfield with stints at Tennessee (2011-14), California (2014-17) and Missouri (2017-22).