Game 14 - Missouri State Bears (7-6, 0-2 MVC) vs.  Valparaiso Beacons (7-6, 0-2 MVC)
Date and Time	Wednesday, January. 1, 2025 | 7:02 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	$5 Bleacher and Upper-Level Tickets | 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+ (Mike McClure, Jay Spoonhour) | Watch
Series	Missouri State leads 28-10 | Last Meeting: MSU 82, Valpo 74 (2/17/24) | Box Score
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Missouri State | Valparaiso | 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	Next Game: Saturday, Jan. 4 at Bradley, 7:00 p.m. Next Home Game: Tuesday, Jan. 7 vs. UIC, 7:00 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 ushers in 2025 at Great Southern Bank Arena on Wednesday when the Bears host Valparaiso at 7 p.m. in a New Year's Day conference showdown. MoState has won 9 straight meetings against the Beacons and 14 of the last 17 series matchups overall. Wednesday's game features $5 bleacher and upper-level tickets. 
• Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) remains the top scorer in the Missouri Valley Conference at 17.8 points per game, posting double-figure points in 13 of his last 14 games. His 6 steals at Evansville on Sunday marks the most by any Missouri State player since Jared Dixon (1/30/16) at Illinois State. White needs 1 three-pointer for 100 in his career (48 games). 
• Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) has scored in double figures in 5 straight games and is coming off his 3rd double-double of the month with 10 points and 12 rebounds at Evansville. During the month of December, Osei-Bonsu shot 62.0 percent from the field (31-of-50) and averaged 11.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals over 6 contests. He ranks 2nd in the MVC in rebounds per game (7.8), offensive rebounds (3.08), double-doubles (3) and total rebounds (102) while ranking 5th in steals per game (1.69).
• Coach Cuonzo Martin is 49-12 (.803) all-time at Great Southern Bank Arena, including a 40-4 ledger over his last three seasons in Springfield (5-1 this year).
• Zaxton King (Fr., Lawrence, Kan.) has knocked multiple 3-pointers in 10-of-13 games this season and has scored at least 8 points 11 times. He ranks 10th in the MVC in minutes (31:59) and 13th in 3-pointers made (24).
• Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis) is tied for 2nd in the MVC (with Osei-Bonsu) in rebounds per game (7.8), total rebounds (102) and double-doubles (3), while ranking 4th in The Valley in offensive boards (2.77). 
• The Bears are averaging 8.8 steals per game which ranks 54th nationally and 2nd in the Missouri Valley, including 6 games with 10 or more steals. Likewise, MSU's 14.54 total takeaways per contest ranks 67th nationally and 2nd in the Missouri Valley Conference with at least 10 forced turnovers in every game. 
• MoState has out-rebounded 11 of its last 12 foes, averaging 36.5 caroms per game in that span. In four seasons under head coach Cuonzo Martin, the Bears have out-rebounded 77-of-115 (.670) opponents overall.
• Junior standout Vincent Brady II (Indianapolis, Ind.) ranks 12th in The Valley in scoring (12.8 ppg).
• Under Cuonzo Martin, the Bears are 48-3 (and 5-0 this season) when shooting a higher field goal percentage than their opponents.
• Valpo's 79.9 team free throw percentage leads the MVC and ranks 13th nationally. The Beacons also make a league-best 18.6 free throws per game, which is 19th-best among all DI programs.

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 271-204 (.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 68-47 (.591) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. Martin is 0-1 in his career against Valpo (2011 at Valpo).
• Martin also boasts 56 college graduates during his career with stints at MoState, Tennessee (2011-14), California (2014-17) and Missouri (2017-22).
• 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.

The Series

• Missouri State leads the all-time series with Valpo, 28-10, including an 11-5 ledger in Springfield (5-3 at Great Southern Bank Arena), 13-4 mark at Valpo, and 4-1 record at neutral sites. The Bears have won 9 straight games in the series since being bounced from Arch Madness by the Beacons in 2020. 
• Last season in Springfield (2/17/24), Chance Moore scored a game-high 25 points and converted 10-of-14 field goals on the afternoon to help MSU escape with an 82-74 win. The Bears trailed by 10 late in the first half and found themselves down 72-64 with 7:47 to play. But with the efforts of N.J. Benson and Matthew Lee down the stretch, the Bears secured 13 straight defensive stops and used an 18-0 run to leapfrog past the Beacons and lead by 10 themselves, 82-72, with 14 seconds left. Valpo scored on its final possession of the game to end an 0-for-13 shooting stretch over the final 4:48, while the Bears converted their last 8 field goals as part of the 18-0 surge. For the game, Lee finished with 19 points and 8 assists, while Benson racked up his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Isaiah Stafford led the Beacons with 24 points while Cooper Schwieger added 22. BOX SCORE
• Last season at the ARC (1/27/24), Alston Mason tallied 22 points, and Donovan Clay added 18 more in his return to his previous school to lift Missouri State to an 81-70 road win. The Bears also got help from Cesare Edwards, who notched his first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Benson added 11 points and 9 rebounds. The Bears held Valpo to 35.5 percent from the field and used a 26-5 run to early in the second half to gain an 18-point advantage with just over eight minutes to play. Darius DeAveiro led Valpo with 20 points, while Jahari Williamson scored 19.