Game 30 - Missouri State Bears (9-20, 2-16 MVC) vs.  Belmont Bruins (19-10, 11-7 MVC)
Date and Time	Wednesday, February 26, 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	Black Out | Headband Giveaway | 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, Steve Schlanger) | Watch
Series	Belmont leads 3-2 | Last Meeting: BEL 85, MSU 68 (2/8/25) | Box Score
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	Missouri State | Belmont | MVC Weekly 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	Regular-Season Finale: Sunday, March 2 at Drake, 2:00 p.m.

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 closes out its 2024-25 home slate with its final Missouri Valley Conference game at Great Southern Bank Arena on Wednesday night when the Bears entertain Belmont at 7 p.m. The "Black Out" themed game will feature a headband giveaway for all fans. 
• A Missouri State win would secure a 54th straight winning home season for the Bears who have been over .500 at home every season since 1971-72, encompassing more than a half century and three home venues. The Bears are 7-7 at home this season and 51-18 (.739) at Great Southern Bank Arena under Cuonzo Martin.
• Vincent Brady II (Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.) needs 10 points to reach 1,000 for his career (90 games). He has scored in double figures in 7 consecutive games. 
• With 69 3-pointers this season, Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) is 3 treys away from breaking into MSU's single-season top 10 with Kyle Weems (2009-10), Austin Ruder (2013-14) and Alston Mason (2023-24) all currently sharing the 10th position. His 391 points this year also ranks 89th on MSU's single-season list.
• Zaxton King's (Fr., Lawrence, Kan.) 269 points is 16 behind Austin Ruder (2013-14) for 9th place on MSU's freshman scoring list. His 53 threes gives him a share of the No. 3 position among Bears freshman, alongside Ben Kandlbinder (1994-95) and 8 behind Blake Ahearn (2003-04) for No. 2.
• The Bears have out-rebounded 5 straight opponents, combining for a +8.0 margin on the glass in that span.
• Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) has led the Bears in rebounding in 8 of the last 12 games and 3 in a row. Over the last 9 ball games, he is firing at a .571 clip (52-of-91) wile averaging 13.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. He ranks 1st in The Valley in total rebounds (217), 1st in offensive rebounds (3.14), 2nd in total rebounds per game (7.5) and 3rd in double-doubles (4).
• Over his last 7 appearances, Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) is shooting 32-of-39 (.821) from the field while averaging 9.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
• Chase Martin (Sr., Columbia, Mo.) tallied 15 points on senior day vs. Illinois State, marking his second-highest point total of his career (18 vs. Tulsa). The Bears are now 6-2 when he scores in double figures. 
• Makhai Valentine (Fr., Munhall, Pa.) had 4 points in 3 minutes against Illinois State in his first appearance since Jan. 11, missing the previous 11 games while recovering from a dislocated thumb. Per 40 minutes, Valentine is averaging a team-best 26.6 points per game.
• Belmont leads the MVC in scoring (81.0), 3-pointers per game (10.9) and assists per game (17.4).

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 has a 273-218 (.556) 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 70-61 (.534) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. Martin is 0-1 all-time against Belmont.
• 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

• The home team has won all five previous meetings between the Bears and Bruins. MoState is 2-0 at Great Southern Bank Arena and 0-3 in Nashville in the series. Belmont's debut in the MVC in 2022-23 initiated the short series between the clubs.
• Earlier this season in Nashville (2/8/25), Zaxton King's tip-in with 6:59 to play drew visiting Missouri State within 67-65 before Belmont ended the game on an 18-3 surge, including four three-pointers, in an 85-68 result. The Bears shot 56.9 percent from the field and snagged 9 steals with Jalen Hampton pouring in a season-high 20 points on 9-of-9 field goals. Dez White (14) and Vincent Brady II (13) also scored in double-figures for the Bears who also owned a 29-19 rebounding advantage, which limited Belmont to just two second-chance points on the evening. King's bucket with just under seven minutes to play capped a 7-0 run by MoState before Brody Peeples buried a three for the home club to stretch its lead to five. The Bruins then reeled off 10 unanswered points to end a 13-0 push and lead 80-65 with just over two minutes to go. Tyler Lundblade finished with a game-high 27 points on 9-of-15 from beyond the arc to tie a MSU opponent record. Belmont had five players in double-figures overall.  | Box Score
• Last season at Great Southern Bank Arena (2/3/24), Missouri State got 23 points and 13 rebounds from Chance Moore to help lead the Bears to a thrilling 87-80 win. Moore teamed up with Alston Mason to spark a decisive 10-0 Bears' run late in the second half and lift them to a fourth straight win. The duo scored all 10 MoState points in the two-and-a-half minute stretch to erase a one-point deficit and give the Bears an 80-71 lead with 3:15 to go. Keishawn Davidson scored 22 for Belmont, while Malik Dia posted 20 points for Belmont.