Game 28 - Missouri State Bears (16-12, 7-9 MVC) vs.  Bradley Braves (18-9, 10-6 MVC)
Date and Time	Wednesday, Feb. 21, 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 | Ticket Deals
Promos & Specials	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+ (Scott Warmann, Kevin Lehman) | Watch
Series	Missouri State leads 43-28 | Last Meeting:  BU 86, MSU 60 (1/6/24) | Box Score
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Missouri State | Bradley | 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: Saturday (Feb. 24) at Belmont (5:00 p.m.) | ESPN2 or ESPNU Next Home Game: Sunday, March 3 vs. UIC (1:00 p.m.) SENIOR DAY | 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

• With just four games remaining in the regular season, Missouri State wraps a two-game home stretch Wednesday when the Bears entertain Bradley at Great Southern Bank Arena (7 p.m./ESPN+). The Bears are looking to snap a three-game Braves' win streak in the series, a Valley rivalry that began when the Bears joined the MVC in 1990-91. MSU is 26-7 all-time at home against BU, including a 12-4 ledger at The Vault.
• On Saturday, Missouri State overcame a 10-point deficit to defeat Valparaiso, marking the 6th time the season the Bears have erased a double-figure deficit for victory and 5th time the Bears have overcome a halftime deficit. MoState is 5-7 this season when trailing at the half.
• Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.) has three 20-point games over the last 6 contests while averaging 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in that span. He is coming off a 10-for-14 shooting effort vs. Valpo for a game-high 25 points. 
• Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) needs just 5 points to reach 1,000 at Missouri State (91 games). He would be the 32nd Bear to reach that milestone and the 24th-fastest Bear to reach 1,000. Among all active DI players, Clay ranks 13th in games played (154), 35th in rebounds (848), 35th in blocks (158) and 84th in scoring (1,606). He is one of just 19 players with 1,600 points and 800 rebounds and one of 34 players with 1,500 points and 350 assists. He also needs 4 rebounds to surpass Will Creekmore (264 reb. from 2008-11) for the No. 5 spot on the Great Southern Bank Arena career rebounding list.   
• Over the last 6 seasons, only Drake (76-32) has amassed more Valley victories than Missouri State and Bradley, which both own identical 63-45 Valley ledgers since the 2018-19 campaign. Likewise, Missouri State and Drake are the only MVC programs to collect wins at Arch Madness each of the last four years. 
• The Bears are a rebounding force this season, ranking 9th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (29.11), 40th in total rebounds (39.22) and 51st in rebound margin (+4.6), all of which lead the MVC. The Bears have out-rebounded 7 of their last 9 MVC foes. The Bears are 12-6 when matching or out-rebounding their foes this season.
• Over the last 4 games, Matthew Lee (Sr., San Juan, PR) is averaging 15.0 points and 4.5 assists while converting 81.3 percent (13-of-16) at the FT line. He eclipsed 100 assists and 200 points at MSU (25g) in Saturday's win over Valpo.  
• Missouri State is 47-5 under coach Dana Ford (5-0 this season) when shooting 50 percent or better from the field. The Bears are coming off a 56.4 shooting effort in Saturday's win over Valpo. Likewise, MoState is 93-15 ledger under Ford (14-3 this year) when the Bears shooting a higher percentage from the field than their opponent.
• The Bears are 7 three-pointers away from 200 on the season, which would mark the club's 3rd straight season to
  reach that milestone, the 14th time in program history and the 7th time in the last 8 seasons.
• Missouri State's bench has outscored its opponents' reserves in 8 straight games by a combined margin of 170-80
  (21.3 to 10.0). Cesare Edwards (Jr., Hartsville, S.C.) has been the Bears' top reserve in that span, is averaging 10.5 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game in that span with 5 double-figure scoring games.
• With 2 dunks against Valparaiso on Saturday, N.J. Benson (So., Mt. Vernon, Ill.) moved into a tie for 3rd place on
  MSU's single-season dunk list (37) and is 5 shy of the squad single-season record (42).
   

The Series

• The series between Missouri State and Bradley dates back to 1991 when the Bears joined the MVC. Missouri State leads the rivalry, 43-28. The Bears are 26-7 all-time at home against the Braves, including a 12-4 ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena.
• Missouri State swept the 2021-22 series against Bradley before the Braves returned the favor in 2022-23.
• Last year in Springfield (12/3/22), Bradley ran away with a 58-40 win after catching the Bears on the heels of a four-game, nine-day road trip. Bradley turned to all-conference post Rienk Mast early and often as he ignited a 19-4 run to give the Braves their largest lead of the night, 58-36. Mast was the game's only double-figure scorer with 15 points, while MSU's Kendle Moore and N.J. Benson led MSU with 7 points apiece 
• Earlier this season in Peoria (1/6/24), Missouri State saw the final 10 minutes get away as the Bears saw a single-digit deficit turn into an 86-60 loss. Connor Hickman's 25 points led the surging Braves, while Darius Hannah added 19 points for the home side. Missouri State got 17 points and 7 rebounds from Cesare Edwards who led the Bears in both categories for the second straight game. Donovan Clay added 13 points. After trailing 42-28 at the half, the Bears chipped away until a layup by Clay with 10:24 to go made it a 56-47 game. But Bradley would embark on a key 8-1 run over the next two-and-a-half minutes to push back ahead by 16 to put it away.  | Box Score
• See page 8 of game notes for complete series history.

Coach Dana Ford

• Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 104-78 (.571) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 61-24 (.718) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 32-42 record in away games, and 11-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 161-143 (.530) in his tenth season as a head coach, including four seasons at Tennessee State. Ford is also 63-45 (.583) in the MVC (34-20 at home, 29-25 away). Ford's 63 wins in Valley play are second only to Drake (74) over the last six seasons.
• Coach Ford is 6-6 all-time against Bradley (4-2 at home, 2-4 in Peoria).
• 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.He captured his 100th Missouri State victory on Jan. 24, 2024 with the team's overtime win over Drake.
• 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.
• Pledge to assist the Rebound Challenge today! Pledge Link