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Missouri State

Brady -252

Bears Resume Valley Play Sunday at Evansville

December 26, 2024

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 13 - Missouri State Bears (7-5, 0-1 MVC) at Evansville Purple Aces (3-9, 0-1 MVC)
Date and Time Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 | 3:00 p.m. (Central)
Location Ford Center (10,000) | Evansville, Ind.
Tickets GoPurpleAces.com | (812) 488-2237
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App
Television ESPN+ (Kyle Peach, Rich Johnston) | Watch
Series Missouri State leads 45-36 | Last Meeting: MSU 74, UE 64 (1/13/24) | Box Score
Follow Along Live Stats 
Game Notes Missouri State | Evansville | 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 Wednesday, Jan. 1 vs. Valparaiso (7 p.m.) | Great Southern Bank Arena | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State returns to Missouri Valley Conference play on Sunday afternoon when the Bears travel to Evansville (3 p.m.) for a key showdown against the long-time rival Purple Aces. In a series that dates back to 1959, the Bears have reeled off six straight victories and 10 wins in the last 11 meetings. 
  • Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) has recaptured the Valley lead in scoring, averaging 18.3 points per game, which ranks 61st nationally. After his 26-point effort against UC Santa Barbara before Christmas, White also ranks 3rd in the MVC in free throw percentage (.908) and 4th in threes per game (2.75), 3-point percentage (.393) and minutes per game (35:07). White has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 13 games. 
  • Dez White needs 3 points for 500 and 4 three-pointers for 100 in his career (47 games). 
  • Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis) ranks 2nd in the MVC in rebounds per game (8.1), total rebounds (97) and double-doubles (3), while ranking No. 3 in The Valley in defensive boards (5.25) and 4th in offensive caroms (2.83). His overall rebounding average places him 68th among all Division I players. Hampton has also knocked down a three-pointer in three straight games and in five of last six.
  • Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) ranks 2nd in the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (3.00), and 4th in The Valley in steals (20), rebounds per game (7.5), total rebounds (90) and double-doubles (2). Osei-Bonsu has scored in double figures in four straight games and turns 21-years-old on Sunday.
  • The defensive-minded Bears are averaging 8.9 steals per game which ranks 53rd nationally and 1st in the Missouri Valley, including 6 games with 10 or more steals. Likewise, MSU's 14.75 total takeaways per contest ranks 57th nationally and 2nd in the Missouri Valley Conference with at least 10 forced turnovers in every game. 
  • MoState has also out-rebounded 10 of its last 11 foes, averaging 36.2 caroms per game in that span. Under head coach Cuonzo Martin, the Bears have out-rebounded 76-of-114 (.667) opponents overall.
  • Junior standout Vincent Brady II (Indianapolis, Ind.) is averaging 13.0 points per game over the last four games and ranks 11th in The Valley in scoring (13.6 ppg).
  • Missouri State has won its last 6 meetings against Evansville, outscoring the Aces by a 79.2 to 66.8 margin in three straight season sweeps from 2021-22 to 2023-24. The Bears have also won 6 of the last 7 at the Ford Center (dating back to 2019), averaging 73.9 points per game to Evansville's 67.1 in that stretch.
  • Zaxton King (Fr., Lawrence, Kan.) ranks 10th in the MVC in minutes played (32:14). The true freshman has scored in double figures 7 times in 12 games (all starts).
  • Under Cuonzo Martin, the Bears are 48-3 (and 5-0 this season) when shooting better than their opponents.

The Series
  • The series between the Bears and Aces is a rich one that dates back to March 13, 1959 when Evansville beat MSU in the championship game of the NCAA Division II Tournament, 83-67, at Roberts Stadium. MSU now leads the series, 45-36, with Missouri State posting a 25-11 record at home (11-4 at GSB Arena), a 16-23 ledger in Evansville (7-7 at Ford Center) and 4-2 mark at neutral sites. MSU has won five in a row in the series.
  • In the last meeting between the squads in Evansville (1/13/24), N.J. Benson scored 22 points, while Raphe Ayres scored 14, and  Missouri State dominated the second half to help the Bears roll to a 74-64 road win. Benson snagged 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season, while Ayres drained four threes. The Bears also got 18 points from Alston Mason and 14 from Donovan Clay to snap a three-game losing streak. After finishing the first half on a 6-2 run, the Bears scored the first six points of the second half to push ahead by seven. After UE trimmed its deficit to four, Mason erupted for seven straight points for the visitors that ultimately gave the Bears a 49-40 lead with 14 minutes to go.  | Box Score
  • Last season in Springfield (11/29/23), Chance Moore scored a career-high 28 points and knocked down five 3-pointers to help lift Missouri State to a 90-78 win. Moore also snagged 8 rebounds and went 7-for-7 at the line to lead four MoState players in double figures. The Bears also got 20 points from Matthew Lee, while Donovan Clay scored 19, and N.J. Benson tallied 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Lee also dished out 8 assists. Evansville was led by Chuck Bailey's 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, while Ben Humrichous added 14 points behind a pair of 3-pointers for the visitors.

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 271-203 (.572) 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 68-46 (.596) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. Martin is 5-2 in his career against Evansville (all at MSU).
  • 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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