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Missouri State

Osei-Bonsu -346

Bears Begin Two-Game Road Swing at Illinois State

January 16, 2025

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 19 - Missouri State Bears (7-11, 0-7 MVC) at Illinois State (10-8, 2-5 MVC)
Date and Time Saturday, January 18, 2025 | 4:02 p.m. (Central)
Location CEFCU Arena (10,200) | Normal, Illinois
Tickets GoRedbirds.com/tickets | (309) 438-8000
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App
Television ESPN+ (Kurt Pegler, Dan Roan) | Watch
Series Illinois State leads, 48-35 | Last Meeting: ILST 75, MSU 74 (2/28/24) | Box Score
Follow Along Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Illinois State | MVC Notebook | MSU Media Guide 
Follow Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Basketball Twitter | Instagram | #GoBears | #ItAllCounts
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Up Next Tuesday, Jan. 21 at Northern Iowa, 7 p.m.
Next Home Game: Saturday, Jan. 25, vs. Drake, 3 p.m. | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State begins a two-game road swing Saturday when the Bears invade CEFCU Arena in Normal for a 4 p.m. matchup against Illinois State. It will mark Missouri State's fifth straight game against an Illinois school as the Bears look to secure their first Valley win.
  • Standout Zaxton King (Fr., Lawrence, Kan.) was named MVC Freshman of the Week on Monday after he helped ignite MSU's comeback efforts at Carbondale last Saturday, scoring 7 points in the span of two-and-a-half minutes late in regulation to help the Bears erase a 13-point deficit and force overtime. King finished with a career-high 23 points at SIU on 8-of-16 field goals, 4-of-9 threes, and 5 rebounds and led all MVC freshmen last week (8th among all DI freshmen) with 20.0 points per game in a two-game stretch.
  • The Bears have forced 10 or more turnovers in 17-of-18 games this season, including 16 takeaways against SIU on Wednesday. MoState is 2nd in the MVC (70th nationally) in turnovers forced per game (13.94). The Bears are also 2nd in the MVC in steals per game (8.0) and has surpassed its season steal total from a year ago (142).
  • Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) led the Bears with 17 points and 9 rebounds in MSU's most-recent outing Wednesday (at home) against Southern Illinois. He was 7-for-11 from the field and 3-for-4 at the line with a pair of blocks, narrowly missing his fourth double-double of the season. He ranks 1st in the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (3.00), 3rd in total rebounds per game (7.2), 3rd in double-doubles (3) and 6th in steals (1.50).
  • On the road this season, the Bears are averaging 8.7 threes per game and 8.3 steals per game. Three MSU standouts are averaging double-figure scoring on the road, led by Vincent Brady II (14.4), Dez White (13.0) and Zaxton King (11.2), while Michael Osei-Bonsu averages 8.2 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game.
  • Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) dropped 14 points on SIU on Wednesday on 5-of-8 FG. He ranks 3rd in the MVC in double-doubles (3), 6th in total rebounds per game (6.8) and 8th in defensive rebounds (4.41).
  • Vincent Brady II (Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.) ranks 12th in the MVC in scoring (13.9). He is also Missouri State's top point producer in conference games, averaging 14.43 points per game, which is 13th-best in Valley contests.
  • Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) needs 16 points to match his season scoring total from last year (277 pts., 35g). White also needs 2 free throws to give him 100 for his career (98-of-111, 88.3 percent). He ranks 3rd in the MVC in free throw percentage (.901) and 4th in The Valley in points per game (15.4), 3-point percentage (.368), 3-pointers per game (2.53) and minutes per game (34:57). His FT% also ranks 30th nationally.
  • Zaxton King's 33 three-pointers this season puts him 9th all-time among Missouri State freshman shooters. He is also 21 points away from becoming the 20th MSU freshman to eclipse 200 points in a season.
     
The Series
  • The series between the Bears and Redbirds dates back to the 1967 NCAA Division II national semifinals - a 93-76 win by the Bears en route to their national runner-up showing. Illinois State leads the all-time series, 48-35. MSU is 9-30 in Normal, 23-14 at home (8-6 at GSB Arena), and 3-4 at neutral sites.
  • In the second of two meetings last year (2/28/24), Illinois State's Johnny Kinziger hit a jumper with 0.5 seconds left in the game to spoil a stellar comeback in the final five minutes by Missouri State as the Redbirds stole a 75-74 decision at CEFCU Arena in Normal. The Bears got a clutch basket from Alston Mason with 8.7 seconds left to put the Bears up 74-73 and close out an impressive 15-4 surge in the game's final 5:15. But ISU got the ball across mid-court and called a timeout with 2.7 seconds left to set up the dagger play at game's end. Mason and Donovan Clay each had 21 points to lead Missouri State, while N.J. Benson posted 20 points and 14 rebounds. The Bears converted 7 of their last 9 field goals down the stretch and shot an impressive 52.5 percent from the field for the game. | Box Score
  • Last season in Springfield (1/20/24), there were 16 lead changes and 9 ties, before Illinois State took control over the last six minutes to top MSU, 69-60. After Alston Mason's 3-pointer gave Missouri State a 59-57 lead with 6:16 to go, the Bears missed their last 10 field goal attempts of the game and managed just one more point the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Redbirds ended the game on a 12-1 run to capture the victory. Darius Burford led three Illinois State scorers in double figures with 22 points. Donovan Clay scored 19 points, and Mason finished with 18. | Box Score

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 271-209 (.565) 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 68-52 (.567) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. Martin is 3-3 vs. the Redbirds in his career (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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