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Missouri State

Osei-Bonsu 235

Men's Hoops Wraps Regular Season at Drake

February 28, 2025

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 31 - Missouri State Bears (9-21, 2-17 MVC) at (RV) Drake Bulldogs (26-3, 16-3 MVC)
Date and Time Sunday, March 2, 2025  | 2:02 p.m. (Central)
Location Knapp Center (6,424) | Des Moines, Iowa
Tickets GoDrakeBulldogs.com | (515) 271-3647
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App
Television ESPN+ (Larry Morgan, Adam Emmenecker) | Watch
Series Missouri State leads 49-24 | Last Meeting:  DU 69, MSU 62 (ot) (1/25/25) | Box Score
Follow Along Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Drake | 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 Arch Madness: Thursday, March 6 vs. #5 Seed, Enterprise Center, St. Louis, 2:30 p.m. 

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State will close out the regular season Sunday when the Bears travel to Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion Drake for a 2 p.m. matchup at Knapp Center in Des Moines (ESPN+). The Bears have won five of the last eight meetings against Drake with the clubs splitting four overtime games in their last six contests, including a 69-62 overtime win for Drake at Great Southern Bank Arena on Jan. 25. 
  • The Bears have out-rebounded 6 straight opponents, combining for a +7.2 margin on the glass in that span.
  • Vincent Brady II (Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.) has scored in double figures in 8 consecutive games, averaging a team-best 14.9 points per game in that span. The IU Indianapolis transfer eclipsed 1,000 career points in Wednesday's home finale against Belmont, reaching the milestone in his 91st career ball game.
  • With 73 three-pointers this season, Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) has moved into Missouri State's single-season top 10 in that category, surpassing a group of former Bears who were previously tied in the 10th spot with 72 -- Kyle Weems (2009-10), Austin Ruder (2013-14) and Alston Mason (2023-24). Meanwhile, White's 411 points this year is tied for 76th on MSU's single-season scoring list.
  • White also needs 9 rebounds for 200 in his career (64 games) and 12 points to reach 700 for his career.
  • Zaxton King's (Fr., Lawrence, Kan.) 275 points is just 10 behind Austin Ruder (2013-14) for 9th place on MSU's freshman scoring list. His 54 threes gives him the No. 3 position among Bears freshman shooters, just 7 triples behind Blake Ahearn (2003-04) for No. 2. He has scored in double figures 11 times this season.
  • Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) has led the Bears in rebounding in 9 of the last 13 games and 4 in a row. He is coming off his 5th double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds against Belmont on Wednesday. He ranks 1st in The Valley in total rebounds (227), 1st in rebounds per game (7.6), 1st in  offensive rebounds per game (3.2), and 3rd in double-doubles (5).
  • Chase Martin (Sr., Columbia, Mo.) tallied 15 points on senior day last weekend vs. Illinois State, marking his second-highest point total of his career (18 vs. Tulsa on 11/16/24). The Bears are now 6-2 when he scores in double figures this season. The Bears' glue guy has found the scoring column in 29-of-30 appearances in 2024-25.
  • 11 of MSU's 17 conference losses have been by single digits with two Valley defeats in overtime.
  • Missouri State ranks 2nd in the Missouri Valley in turnovers forced per game (13.07), just behind Drake's 13.86 takeaways. Missouri State has forced 10 or more turnovers in 26 of 30 contests in 2024-25, including 8 games with 10 or more steals (10 vs. Belmont on Wednesday). MoState ranks 2nd in the MVC in steals per game (7.5).
  • Over his last 8 appearances, Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) is shooting 32-of-39 (.821) from the field.
The Series
  • Missouri State leads the all-time series against Drake, 49-24, with victories in five of the last eight meetings. The Bears are 28-7 all-time in Springfield against the Bulldogs (12-6 at GSB Arena), 19-14 in Des Moines, and 2-3 at neutral sites. 
  • Earlier this season in Springfield (1/25/25), Missouri State shot 50 percent from the field and overcame a 15-point deficit to force overtime, but visiting Drake made four of its five field goal attempts in extra time to slip away with a 69-62 decision. Missouri State got career-highs 24 points and 13 rebounds from Michael Osei-Bonsu for his fourth double-double of the season as he converted 10-of-16 shots, dished out three assists and blocked a pair of shots. Meanwhile, Vincent Brady II added 14 points for the home side, including four treys and a game-high four assists. Osei-Bonsu's layup with 12 seconds left in regulation tied things up, 55-55, and forced the Bears into overtime for the fourth time this season. The comeback featured MSU's best defensive half of the season, holding Drake to 26.1 percent in the second half (6-of-23) and 20 points total. The Bulldogs opened the extra period with six unanswered points in the first two minutes to gain the early advantage. Bennett Stirtz led Drake with 18 points, while Mitch Mascari tallied 13. 
  • Last season in Des Moines (12/2/23), Missouri State's six-game win streak came to a halt as the Bears ran into a buzzsaw, falling 74-57 at the Knapp Center. Tucker DeVries led all players with 24 points for Drake on 10-of-19 field goals, while Darnell Brodie added 12 points and 9 rebounds for the home side. The Bears were led by Chance Moore's 17 points, while Tyler Bey contributed 10. Raphe Ayres also contributed 9 points for the visitors with N.J. Benson sharing game-high rebounding honors with 9. The Bears trailed by 11 at the half and cut their deficit to single digits four times before Drake gained separation midway through the second half. 
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 273-219 (.555) 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 70-62 (.530) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. Martin is 4-3 vs. Drake 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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