LITTLE ROCK BRINGS 7-GAME WIN STREAK TO ATLANTA THURSDAY

     Georgia State (9-14, 4-10) faces a red-hot Little Rock team on a seven-game win streak on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Sports Arena.

     As always, home games are on 1340 The Fan 3 radio, 1230 AM radio and ESPN3.

     GSU returns to Atlanta on a three-game losing streak since a win over Texas State on  Feb. 4  (73-62) after losing to Little Rock the game before.  Little Rock (10-4 SBC) lost to Texas State on Jan. 21 (67-57) and hasn't lost since. In its seven-game win streak was a victory over GSU 59-32 in Little Rock after GSU could score just nine points the entire first half. GSU fell behind 13-0 with six misses and six turnovers in its first 12 possessions and made just 3-of-18 shots in scoring four in the first quarter and five in the second.

     The Sun Belt has five of the 11 teams at .500 or better, meaning six teams are fighting for the final seeds. GSU sits in 9th and controls its destiny at the moment by virtue of playing Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and ULM.

      The storyline for Georgia State this season had been WHO can play, more so than HOW they're actually playing. Three starters have missed a combined 22 games and the top two scorers both had been out the previous four games. Three key back-ups had missed a combined 23 more games.

       GSU has started 13 of its 14 players on the roster, with 11 players averaging 15 or more minutes a game this season as a result. The points have come from anywhere with 10 players having scored in double figures.  It was “the Survival of the Fittest.” Until the last game, only one player on the roster (Newby) had played more than half the possible total minutes a player could play in the 23 total games (460 minutes of the 920 possible minutes). Now, Makeba Ponder inched past the 50% time with 471 minutes. By comparison, Little Rock has five starters who have all played 650 minutes or more together. Little Rock has had one starter miss two games (Shanity James) and the team lost both of those.

    Georgia State has two players leading the Sun Belt with Madison Newby making 118 assists (5.1 per game) and Makeba Ponder making 2.24 3-pointers per game (38 in her 17 games played). Ponder will return to the official league stats Friday after she plays Thursday and gets back to 75% played. Morgan Jackson is a deadeye shooter from the free throw line (93.8%) but has shot just 16 times with a streak of 13 consecutive makes.

LITTLE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS

  •  Little Rock's defense ranks the Trojans 3rd in the Sun Belt (56.0 per game) and a lofty No. 32 in the NCAA statistics.
   •   In its current seven-game win streak, Little Rock is allowing only 45.1 points per game.
   •    Little Rock is first in the SBC in defensive rebounds, meaning the Trojans get the “one-and-done” more than any other team.
   •   Little Rock has two of the top five shooters in the SBC with Kaitlyn Pratt third at 53.9 percent and Shanity James fifth at 53.4 percent. As a team, Little Rock is No. 92 in shooting (41.6%).
   •   Alexius Dawn leads the Sun Belt in 3-point shots taken (151), but is only ninth in 3-point baskets made (37).
   •  Shanity James is No. 6 SBC scoring (15.0) and No. 5 SBC in rebounding (7.3). James earns the Sun Belt's “Hack-a-Shaq” award for getting to the free throw line the most times (133), but makes only 48.9% of the free shots.

WHO'S HOT FOR GSU

•  Haley Gerrin's last 7 games have seen her score 75 points (10.7 per game) with 40 rebounds (5.7 per game). She's hit 28 of her 52 shots (54%) and 19 of her 27 free throws (70%) in those 7.

• Morgan Jackson has missed only one free throw all year (15 of 16, 93.8%). Her only miss was on Nov. 28 vs. Howard and she has made 13 straight now. For her career, Jackson shoots 86.8%.

•  Makeba Ponder has made at least one 3-point basket in 18 consecutive games and 26 of her last 27 games played in. Ponder has scored 134 points in last 10 games she played (143.4ppg). She has made 21 of her last 24 free throws (87.5%) over the past 9 games she's played.

•  Madison Newby leads the Sun Belt in assists (118, 5.1). She's had 3 or more assists in 11 of the last 13 games. Her 14-assist game Saturday at Troy tied for second-best in school history.

•  Kennesha Nichols has hit 25 of her last 45 field goals (55.6%).

•  Astaja Tyghter hit 6-of-10 Saturday for 13 points at Troy.

GSU BY THE NUMBERS
 
 9.3 -  Steals per game that GSU is averaging this year with 213 in the 23 games (No. 66 NCAA).

  13 -  Number of different players to start a game so far this year for GSU.  Only freshman Kierra Henry (injured) hasn't drawn a starting assignment.

  14.5 - Number of offensive rebounds the Panthers are averaging this year to rank No. 3 in Sun Belt.
 
   15 -   Number of road games GSU will play this year.

  17.2 - Number of turnovers GSU forces per game (No. 126 in NCAA) with 395.

  48 -  PG Madison Newby's ranks No. 48 in the NCAA in assists per game (5.1)

65.1 - Points per game GSU is averaging after scoring 90 twice this season. GSU is No. 148 in the NCAA in scoring.

  90 -  NCAA rank by GSU in most free throws attempts with 455 taken this year.

  107 - Career 3-point baskets by sophomore guard Makeba Ponder in 45 games.

  262 - Career wins by head coach Baldwin-Tener.

  400 - Tatianna Jackson scored her 400th Saturday (408).

  500 - Career pointsl.  Sophomore Makeba Ponder upped her total to 528 after just 45 games.

A UNIQUE 100 CLUB...

   Freshman PG Madison Newby seems to be filling up all in the statistical columns as she is posting a 100 total in multiple categories, pretty much by herself as the only one in the Sun Belt through 23 games.

    •  She has 118 assists (leads the Sun Belt, 5.1 per game)
    •  She has 108 turnovers
    •  She has shot 114 free throws (fourth-most Sun Belt)
    •  She has attempted 139 shots (made 66)
    •  She has scored 202 points
    •  She will need 19 more rebounds to reach 100 (has 81)
    •  She leads the club in personal fouls (59) but we hope 100 of those are out of the question.