Missouri State men to play host to Illinois State Wednesday, game to be shown on Fox Sports Midwest

(From Missouri State University Athletics)

Missouri State plays its second-to-last home game of the 2016-17 campaign Wednesday night when the Bears host league front runner Illinois State (21-5, 13-1) at 8 p.m. for a late-night showdown on FOX Sports Midwest.

Enjoy the Game
The Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena opens at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Box office purchases are also available by phone at (417) 836-7678. Tickets may also be purchased 24/7 online and printed from home at MissouriStateBears.com. Military Appreciation discounts (in-person purchases only) require a valid military ID.


Series History
In a series that dates back to the 1967 Division II national semifinals in Evansville, ISU leads the rivalry, 40-29, including wins in four of the last five meetings. ISU is 3-5 at JQH.

Last season, the teams split the regular-season series with ISU winning a 74-61 decision in Normal before the Bears claimed an 84-81 overtime win in Springfield.

Earlier this year in Normal (Jan. 4), MiKyle McIntosh scored seven of Illinois State's 10 overtime points and finished with a game-high 21 to lead the Redbirds past Missouri State, 74-71, in an OT game that featured 10 ties and 12 lead changes. Jarrid Rhodes poured in a career-high 19 points for Missouri State, including five 3-pointers. Ryan Kreklow added three treys and 11 points for the Bears, who attempted a school-record 38 long-range shots. 


Scouting the Redbirds
Fifth-year head coach Dan Muller has seven lettermen and four starters back from an 18-14 club that was 12-6 and tied for second in the MVC standings a year ago.

Leading the way for ISU this season is senior Deontae Hawkins with 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game along with 53 treys. Classmate Paris Lee has team-highs 130 assists, 55 steals and 59 3-pointers and posts 13.4 points per game. Injured star MiKyle McIntosh also averages 13.5 points per game for the Redbirds.


The Ten Count

• Jarred Dixon (So., Kansas City, Mo.) has scored in double figures in 4 of the last 5 games. He is averaging 11.8 points per game since Jan. 28 and has 13 assists and 7 steals in that span.
• Alize Johnson (Jr., Williamsport, Pa.) continues to lead The Valley with 10.4 rebounds per game. He ranks 15th nationally in double-doubles (14) and 15th in rebounds per game. He has 18 double-figure rebound games this year.
• MSU has matched or out-rebounded 13 of 14 league foes this season. Only Evansville (Feb. 4) has bettered the Bears on the glass during conference play. MSU ranks 29th nationally in rebound margin (+6.0).
• Chris Kendrix (Jr., Willard, Mo.) is averaging 10.0 points off the bench over the last two games. He is 7 points shy of 700 for his career.
• Missouri State has scored more field goals than its opponent in 6 of its 12 losses this season.
• Obediah Church (So., Springfield, Ill.) leads the MVC and ranks 26th nationally in blocked shots per game (2.32). He also has climbed to No. 6 on MSU's career blocks list (108), just 57 games into his collegiate career. He is 6 blocks shy of Kyle Weems (2008-2012) for the No. 5 spot.
• Dequon Miller (Jr., Charleston, W.Va.) has 97 career 3-pointers and would become just the 14th MSU player to reach 100 treys in a career. He shares the team lead (Ruder) with 40 3-pointers this season.
• Johnson has 174 rebounds at JQH Arena this season, crushing the old record (136) set by Jermaine Mallett in 2010.
• MSU is just 27 3-pointers shy of matching the club single-season record of 252 set in 2009-10. The Bears are averaging 8.33 treys per game, which is on pace to shatter the team's per game record (7.36) set in 2006-07.
• The Bears are 7 points from 2,000 for the season, a benchmark the team has reached three times under head coach Paul Lusk. MSU's 73.8 scoring average this season is Missouri State's highest since the 2006-07 (73.9).