Game 31 - Missouri State Bears (15-15, 7-12 MVC) vs.  UIC Flames (11-19, 4-15 MVC)
Date and Time	Sunday, March 3, 2024 | 1:00 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	Fan Appreciation Day | Senior Day | Kids Day | $5 Tickets | 2023-24 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+ (Don West, Tom Ladd) | Watch
Series	Missouri State leads, 16-4 | Last Meeting: MSU 74, UIC 57 (3/2/23) | Box Score
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Missouri State | UIC | 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: Thursday, March 7 vs. Murray State or Illinois State (12 p.m.)  Arch Madness Tournament Central

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 returns to Great Southern Bank Arena on Sunday when the Bears host UIC in the regular-season finale for both teams (1 p.m./ESPN+). The Fan Appreciation Day and Senior Day contest will mark the first meeting of the season between the Bears and Flames who were co-members of the Mid-Continent Conference from 1984 to 1990. 
• The Bears are locked in as the No. 9 seed for next week's Arch Madness event in St. Louis and will play at Noon on Thursday, March 7 against the No. 8 seed (Illinois State or Murray State) with the winner advancing to a quarterfinal matchup against the No. 1 seed on Friday at Noon.
• Alston Mason (Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.) has scored in double figures 24 times in 27 appearances this season, including 20 games with 15 or more points, and 9 games with 20 or more. He ranks 3rd in the MVC and 78th nationally in scoring (18.1 ppg). Mason has also knocked down multiple threes 21 times this season. He is 2 points from 800 at MSU (58g).
• Donovan Clay (Sr., Alton, Ill.) eclipsed 1,000 points as a Bear in last Saturday's game at Belmont (Feb. 24), doing so in his 93rd game in maroon. He is the 32nd Bear to reach that milestone and the 24th-fastest Bear to reach 1,000. Among all active DI players, Clay ranks 12th in games played (157), 35th in rebounds (866), 36th in blocks (160) and 82nd in scoring (1,642). He is coming off a 21-point effort at Illinois State - his 4th of the year and 12th of his career.
• Matthew Lee (Sr., San Juan, PR) is 9 points from 800 for his collegiate career (110g).
• N.J. Benson (So., Mt. Vernon, Ill.) had 4 dunks in Wednesday's game at Illinois State, pushing him past Tulio DaSilva (2018-19) and Jonathan Mogbo (2022-23) for the Bears' single-season dunk record (43). Benson also shares the MVC lead in double-doubles with 8 on the season, including 20 points and 14 rebounds at Illinois State on Wednesday.
• The Bears rank 12th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (28.73), 49th in total rebounds (38.70) and 57th in rebound margin (+4.4), all of which lead the MVC. Likewise, N.J. Benson leads the MVC in offensive rebounding (3.00).
• MSU has eclipsed 200 threes as a team for the 3rd straight season and the 7th time in the last 8 years and 14th time overall. This year's total (209) ranks 13th on MSU single-season list.
• Chance Moore (Jr., Brookhaven, Ga.) is celebrating his 21st birthday on Saturday.
• The Bears have two players around 100 assists for the season with Matthew Lee (100) and Alston Mason (98) at or near the century mark. Mason has led the Bears in assists 16 times this year compared to 14 for Lee. The last time the Bears had two players with 100+ assists was 2010-11 with Nafis Ricks (138) and Jermaine Mallett (102). 
• The Bears are coming off season-high 52 points in paint at Illinois State on Wednesday, tied for the second-most in school history behind MSU's 54 points in the paint vs. the Redbirds at home on Feb. 5, 2020.
• Dawson Carper's (Sr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) next appearance will be his 50th as a Bear. The Hawaii transfer has collected 90 points and 71 rebounds in his 4 seasons at Missouri State.
• Missouri State had three players score 20 or more points in Wednesday's game at Illinois State with Donovan Clay (21), Alston Mason (21) and N.J. Benson (20) setting the standard. The last time the Bears had three 20-point scorers in the same game was Jan. 5, 1971 vs. Brandeis with Tom Harshbarger, Eric Thompson and Chuck Williams each scoring 25 points in a game in DeLand, Fla.

The Series

• Missouri State leads the all-time series with UIC, 16-4. The Bears are 10-0 at home all-time against the Flames (1-0 at Great Southern Bank Arena). The Bears are also 5-3 in Chicago against UIC and 1-1 at neutral sites. 
• The teams were members of the Mid-Continent Conference together from 1984 to 1990.
• Last season in Chicago (11/30/22), Missouri State got 17 points apiece Donovan Clay and Chance Moore, dominated the glass and used a solid defensive effort to turn back home standing UIC, 66-51, in the Valley opener. The Bears racked up 11 steals, 10 blocks and out-rebounded the Flames by a 50-40 margin to overcome a rough shooting effort. The Bears scored 42 points in the paint to keep the home club at arm's length most of the second half. UIC was led by Jace Carter's 15 points, while Jalen Jackson scored 14. 
• In the regular-season rematch in Springfield (1/24/23), The MSU trio of Jonathan Mogbo, Chance Moore and Alston Mason each had big moments in the game's final minute to lift the Bears over UIC, 63-59. Mason tallied career highs in points (19), rebounds (5) and assists (5) to pace a MoState squad that trailed with just over two minutes to go. Donovan Clay also pitched in 19 points and 7 boards. Moore had one of the biggest shots of the night, a 3-pointer from right wing that rattled home to give the Bears the lead for good with 48 ticks showing on the clock. 
• The clubs then squared off in St. Louis in the opening round of the MVC Tournament (3/2/23) in the 6-11 game. Behind a dominant second-half effort, Missouri State defeated UIC, 74-57. The Bears shot 55.2 percent from the field in the final stanza and got a game-high 17 points from Alston Mason and 13 by Damien Mayo Jr. to secure the win. With the Bears leading 40-34 with 18:33 to go, Mayo took over. The freshman reeled off Missouri State's next 11 points over the next five minutes to extend the lead to 51-38. | Box Score
• See page 8 of game notes for complete series history.

Coach Dana Ford

• Dana Ford (Illinois State, 2006) is 104-81 (.562) in his sixth season as Missouri State head coach, including a 61-25 (.709) ledger at Great Southern Bank Arena, 32-44 record in away games, and 11-12 mark at neutral sites. He is now 161-146 (.524) in his tenth season as a head coach, including four seasons at Tennessee State. Ford is also 63-48 (.568) in the MVC (34-21 at home, 29-27 away). Ford's 63 wins in Valley play are fourth to Drake (78), Bradley (66) and UNI (64) over his six seasons with the Bears.
• Coach Ford is 3-0 vs. UIC (1-0 at Great Southern Bank Arena).
• 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