Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Missouri State

Hampton

Bears Migrate to Nashville for Showdown at Belmont

February 06, 2025

By: MSU Athletics Communications
Game 25 - Missouri State Bears (8-16, 1-12 MVC) at Belmont Bruins (16-8, 8-5 MVC)
Date and Time Saturday, February 8, 2025  | 4:02 p.m. (Central)
Location Curb Event Center (5,000) | Nashville, Tennessee
Tickets BelmontBruins.com | (615) 460-2255
Radio KWTO (FM 93.3 / AM 560) (Corey Riggs, Mike Keltner) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live |
The Varsity Network App
Television ESPN+ (Steve Layman, Greg Sage) | Watch
Series Series tied 2-2 | Last Meeting:  BEL 93, MSU 78 (2/24/24) | Box Score
Follow Along Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Belmont | 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 Wednesday, Feb. 12 vs. Evansville, 7:00 p.m. (RED PANDA) | Tickets

The Ten Count
  • Missouri State travels to Nashville on Saturday to take on Valley upper-division foe Belmont at 4 p.m. (ESPN+). The Bears are in search of their first MVC road win of the campaign while chasing their first-ever win at Curb Event Center. The Bears and Bruins have split their four previous meetings with the home team winning each game. Belmont is the only MVC squad the Bears have not yet played this season.
  • Over the last 6 games, Missouri State is shooting 50.7 percent from the field (147-of-290) and 42.1 percent from 3-point range (51-of-121). Comparatively, MSU opponents are shooting .434 from the field and .325 from three in that span.
  • Dez White (So., Jefferson City, Mo.) needs 2 assists for 100 and 2 field goals for 200 in career (58 games).
  • Missouri State ranks 62nd nationally (6th in MVC) in 3-point FG percentage (.366), converting 178-of-486 (.366) from beyond the arc this season. The Bears are on pace to eclipse 200 threes for the eighth time in nine seasons. 
  • At 15.1 points per game, Dez White is on pace to rank among MSU's top 10 per-game scorers over the last 25 seasons. He currently ranks 3rd in the MVC in 3-point percentage (.385), 4th in 3-pointers per game (2.70), 4th in free throw percentage (.841), 6th in minutes per game (34:33) and 7th in scoring average. 
  • Missouri State has forced 13.42 turnovers per game this season which ranks 2nd in the MVC (behind Drake's 14.22). The Bears have also recorded 10 or more takeaways in 21-of-24 games this winter (three games in a row), while averaging 7.5 steals per game (2nd-best in the MVC) for the campaign.
  • Despite a 1-12 start in conference play, Missouri State has 7 single-digit defeats against Valley foes and a pair of overtime losses as part of its conference storyline.
  • Michael Osei-Bonsu (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) leads the MVC in offensive rebounds per game (3.04). He also ranks 2nd in The Valley in total rebounds (173), 3rd in total rebounds per game (7.2) and 3rd in double-doubles (4).
  • Zaxton King (Fr., Lawrence, Kan.) has 46 threes this season which ranks 4th all-time among Missouri State freshman shooters, while his 237 points ranks 14th among MSU freshmen.  
  • On the road this season, Missouri State's top scorer has been Dez White at 14.2 points per game, while Vincent Brady II (12.0 ppg) is close behind. The Bears are also averaging 8.8 threes per game in true road games.
  • Jalen Hampton (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) needs 10 rebounds for 400 in his career (56 games). 
The Series
  • The Bears and Bruins have split their four previous all-time meetings, 2-2, with the home team winning each contest. Belmont's debut in the MVC in 2022-23 marked the first-ever meeting between the clubs.
  • 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 BU.
  • In the rematch in Nashville (2/24/24), Belmont knocked down 16 three-pointers and had an answer for every Missouri State run en route to a 93-78 victory. The Bears were led by Moore and Matthew Lee with 18 points apiece, while Mason scored 17. Donovan Clay eclipsed 1,000 points as a Bear in the first half and finished with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in his first double-double of the season. Cade Tyson led all players with 25 points and 6 triples for the Bruins, while Ja'Kobi Gillespie tallied 24 for the home club, which had five players in double figures. For its part, Missouri State's offensive efforts were on point as the maroon side shot 49.2 percent from the field overall to Belmont's 47.1. | 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 272-214 (.560) 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 69-57 (.548) in his fourth season (and second stint) at Missouri State University. Martin has never coached against Belmont in his career.
  • 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).
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors