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Missouri State

Team Bears

Bears Open December with Sunday Showdown at ORU

November 29, 2024

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 8 - Missouri State Bears (4-3) at Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (2-5)
Date and Time Sunday, December 1, 2024 | 3:00 p.m. (Central)
Location Mabee Center (8,781) | Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tickets ORUAthletics.com (ETix) | ( 918) 495-6000
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App
Television Midco Plus (Connor Clark, Tom Schuberth) | Watch
Series Bears lead 11-10 | Last Meeting: MSU 84, ORU 69 (11/13/23) | Box Score
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Oral Roberts | MVC Notebook | MSU Media Guide 
Follow Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #GoBears | #ItAllCounts
Bears Mobile App App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. Indiana State (7 p.m.) | Great Southern Bank Arena | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • After finishing fourth in the Cayman Islands Classic just prior to Thanksgiving, Missouri State will travel to regional rival Oral Roberts on Sunday, Dec. 1 for a 3 p.m. showdown against the Golden Eagles. The Bears have won 5 of the last 8 meetings between the clubs in a series that dates back to 1981.  
  • Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) was named to the Cayman Islands Classic all-tournament team after averaging 17.7 points per game, making 8 threes and converting 93.8 percent (15-of-16) at the line over 3 games. He enters the weekend 1st in the MVC in free throws (35), field goal attempts (92), total points (122) and free throw attempts (38). He is also 2nd in The Valley in scoring average (17.4) and minutes per game (35:41).
  • The defensive-minded Bears have forced 10+ turnovers in every game this season and have averaged 16.4 takeaways per contest, which ranks 41st nationally and best in the Missouri Valley Conference. MoState also leads the MVFC in steals per game (9.7), which ranks 33rd nationally, and turnover margin (+2.7). Chase Martin (Sr., Columbia, Mo.) and Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) are both tied for 5th in the MVC in steals (12) and 6th in steals per game (1.71).
  • Freshman Zaxton King (Fr., Lawrence, Kan.) has knocked down multiple 3-pointers in 6-of-7 games this year. He ranks 9th in the Missouri Valley Conference in total threes (15) and 13th in threes per game (2.14).
  • The Bears rank 67th nationally and 1st in MVC in offensive rebounds per game (13.00) with at least 10 offensive boards in each game this season. Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) leads the MVC in offensive boards (3.14), while Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) is 3rd (2.71). Hampton has logged double-figure rebounds in 3 of the last 4 games (9.8 rpg) with two double-doubles in that span.
  • Vincent Brady II (Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.) averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two games in the Caymans, converting 14-of-16 (.875) free throws and posting career-highs 27 points and 10 rebounds against High Point in the tournament's first round for his first Division I double-double. He needs 6 more 3-pointers to reach 100 for his career.
  • During his career, Cuonzo Martin's teams are a combined 160-40 (.800) when they score 70 or more points. The Bears have eclipsed 70 points five times this season (4-1) with their only loss coming in overtime (76-74) to Boston College in the Cayman Islands Classic semifinals.
  • The home team has won the last 11 meetings between the Bears and Oral Roberts, dating back to MSU's last win at the Mabee Center in 2014.
  • Jalen Hampton is among the nation's leaders in total rebounds (32nd), double-doubles (40th), rebounds per game (58th), and offensive boards (64th). He leads the MVC in offensive bounds and is 3rd in rebounds per game.

The Series
  • MoState leads the all-time series between the teams, 11-10, in a regional rivalry that dates back to 1981. The Bears have won 5 of the last 8 meetings with an 8-2 home record against ORU and 3-8 record in Tulsa.
  • Last season in Springfield (11/13/23) Alston Mason scored 28, and MSU got 17 more from Donovan Clay to lead MSU to a wire-to-wire win over visiting Oral Roberts, 84-69, in the home opener. Mason finished 10-for-15 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. N.J. Benson also scored 11 points, while Mason snagged a game-high 9 rebounds, and Matthew Lee dished out 9 assists to help the winning cause. ORU was led by Isaac McBride's 27 points with DeShang Weaver pitching in 11. The Bears parlayed a 12-point halftime lead into a 24-point advantage over the first 12 minutes of the second half with Mason sparking an 11-2 outburst to double MSU's lead.  | Box Score
  • Two years ago at the Mabee Center (12/16/22), the Bears were down by 23 points with just under 16 minutes to go before MSU went to a young rotation that never left the floor down the stretch, eventually taking the lead with 94 seconds to go. But home-standing ORU narrowly beat the shot clock on a game-winning dunk by 7-foot-5 Connor Vanover with 19 seconds remaining to steal an 80-77 victory. Jonathan Mogbo led the Bears with a career-high 14 points, including two free throws with 49 seconds remaining to get the Bears within 78-77 before the Vanover dunk as the shot clock expired. Dalen Ridgnal (13) and Raphe Ayres (10) also tallied career highs for the Bears.

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 268-201 (.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 65-44 (.596) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. Martin is 3-0 in his career against Oral Roberts, including a 1-0 ledger with the Bears (11/12/10) and 2-0 record vs. ORU at Missouri.
  • 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).
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