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Bears Prepare for Road Showdown at Bradley

January 02, 2025

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 15 - Missouri State Bears (7-7, 0-3 MVC) at Bradley Braves (12-2, 3-0 MVC)
Date and Time Saturday, January 4, 2025 | 7:05 p.m. (Central)
Location Carver Arena (11,433) | Peoria, Illinois
Tickets BradleyBraves.com | (309) 677-2625
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App
Television CBS Sports Network | Chris Hassel, Pete Gillen | Watch
Series Missouri State leads 43-29 | Last Meeting: BU 86, MSU 62 (2/21/24) | Box Score
Follow Along Live Stats 
Game Notes Missouri State | Bradley | 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 Tuesday, Jan. 7 vs. UIC, 7:00 p.m. | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State returns to the Valley road on Saturday when the Bears travel to Peoria, Ill., to square off with MVC co-leader Bradley on national TV (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network). MoState is 14-19 all-time at Carver Arena.
  • Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) has scored in double-figures 14 times in his last 15 games and knocked down his 100th career 3-pointer in Wednesday's game vs. Valparaiso. Saturday's game at Bradley will mark White's 50th career ball game (522 points, 102 threes). He ranks 37th nationally in FT percentage (.899), 38th in minutes per game (35:09) and 52nd in 3-pointers (39). He also ranks 3rd in The Valley in scoring (17.5 ppg). 
  • Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) has scored in double figures in 6 straight games and narrowly missed a double-double with 15 points and 9 rebounds vs. Valpo on Wednesday. He ranks 62nd nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (KenPom) while sitting 2nd in the MVC in rebounds per game (7.9), offensive rebounds (3.21) and double-doubles (3). He is converting 64.3 percent of his FG attempts on the road this season.
  • Zaxton King (Fr., Lawrence, Kan.) ranks 9th in the MVC in minutes per game (32:10) and is averaging 11.0 points per game on the road this season -- second on the club only to Dez White's 16.8 ppg in true road games.
  • The Bears are averaging 8.6 steals which ranks 62nd nationally and 2nd in the Missouri Valley, including 6 games with 10 or more steals. Likewise, MSU's 14.07 takeaways per contest ranks 85th nationally (2nd in MVC). 
  • MoState has out-rebounded 12 of its last 13 foes -- and 7 in a row -- averaging 35.8 caroms per game in that span. In 4 seasons under Cuonzo Martin, the Bears have out-rebounded 78-of-116 (.672) opponents overall.
  • Junior standout Vincent Brady II (Indianapolis, Ind.) needs 11 points for 800 in his career (75 games). He is coming off a team-high 19 points (on 8-of-9 FG) vs. Valpo and ranks 13th in The Valley in scoring (13.3 ppg).
  • Under Cuonzo Martin, the Bears are 48-4 (5-1 this season) when shooting a higher field goal percentage than their opponents. MoState is coming off a season-best 58.0 shooting percentage in Wednesday's home loss to Valparaiso, the club's highest shooting percentage in a loss since Jan. 18, 2014 at Northern Iowa (.593).
  • Missouri State's 15 assists (on 29 FG) against Valparaiso on Wednesday was one shy of a season-high, set earlier this season vs. Missouri Southern (Nov. 11) and at Washington State (Dec. 14).
  • Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis) is averaging 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game against KenPom top 100 teams. He ranks 2nd in the MVC in double-doubles (3), 3rd in rebounds per game (7.8) and 4th in offensive rebounds per game (2.77). Likewise, his 26.4 offensive rebound percentage ranks 43rd nationally (KenPom).
  • The Bears rank in the national top 50 in two of the KenPom "Four Factors," including 44th in offensive rebound percentage (34.8) and 50th in FTA/FGA (39.4). MoState is 2nd in the MVC in offensive boards per game (11.93).

The Series
  • The series between Missouri State and Bradley dates back to 1991 when the Bears joined the MVC. Missouri State leads the rivalry, 43-29. The Bears are 14-19 in Peoria all-time.
  • Last season in Springfield (2/21/24), visiting Bradley knocked down 16 3-pointers, including a dozen in the second half, to run away from Missouri State, 86-62. The Braves closed out the game on a 41-22 surge over the final 14 minutes with Duke Deen racking up a career-high 35 points and making 9-of-12 shots from 3-point range. Deen's performance from beyond the arc broke the Great Southern Bank Arena record for treys in a game and matched Wichita State's Jason Perez (2000) for the all-time MSU opponent three-point shooting record. Missouri State had four players in double figures, led by Alston Mason with 19 points, while Matthew Lee tallied 14 points and 5 assists. Cesare Edwards racked up 13 points off the bench, and N.J. Benson registered 11 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Just over three minutes into the second half, the Bears cut into a double-figure deficit with 9-3 run to make it a 45-40 game with 14:34 to play. A dunk and hook shot from Benson preceded a bucket and three-pointer from Mason to close out the two-minute stretch. Bradley responded with a 15-2 push over a critical five-minute segment to make it an 18-point margin.  | Box Score
  • In the other meeting last 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 ahead by 16 to put it away.  | 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 271-205 (.569) 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 68-48 (.586) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. Martin is 4-3 in his career against Bradley (3-3 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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