Two Missouri Valley Conference rivals face off against one another on Sunday when the Missouri State Bears (12-11, 8-5 MVC) visit Carbondale, Illinois and the Banterra Center to play against the Southern Illinois Salukis (11-7, 9-4 MVC). Missouri State defeated Valparaiso 76-67 in overtime on Wednesday for their second victory in the last three games. Southern Illinois lost to the Bradley Braves 62-52 on Wednesday for their second consecutive victory but remained tied for first in the MVC with three other teams, while Missouri State is one game back in fifth. Missouri State and Southern Illinois do not have any players on their respective injury reports.
Missouri State is within one game of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference thanks to excellent defense as the Bears are holding opponents to an average of 63.2 points (33rd) per game. Opponents are shooting 42.5% (122nd) overall and 32.4% (124th) from 3-point territory. Missouri State’s offense has struggled at times as the Bears are scoring an average of only 66.2 points (320th) per game, while shooting 43.5% (250th) overall and 33.1% (241st) from three point land.
Chance Moore is the leading scorer for Missouri State with an average of 11.1 points per game but is shooting only 44.2% overall and 36.0% from three point land. Donovan Clay is the second leading scorer with an average of 10.8 points per game while shooting 47.2% overall and 26.5% from three point land. Three of the next four scorers for Misso uri State are shooting 39.1% or less. Clay is the leader in assists with an average of 3.5 dishes per contest. On the boards, Missouri State averages 34.9 rebounds per game led by Jonathan Mogbo with an average of 6.9 boards per game. Mogbo is the leader in steals with an average of 1.6 per game and the best rim protector with an average of 1.2 blocked shots per game.
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