ATLANTA-With a new face at the helm, the two-time defending Sun Belt Conference champion Georgia State men's basketball team will open the 2019-20 season with its lone exhibition game on Friday night hosting Point in the GSU Sports Arena at 7 p.m.

For the game on Friday, Georgia State has partnered with Panther's Pantry which provides meals to at-risk students facing financial difficulties and inadequate access to food. Admission to the game is free and does not require a ticket, however fans are encouraged to bring canned goods. Seating for these games will also be general admission.

Friday's contest can be heard live on WRAS-FM 88.5 with Dave Cohen, now in his 37th year as the Voice of the Panthers, being joined by former Panther Lamont McIntosh. Live statistics and live audio will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and on most mobile devices.

Coming off a third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five years, Georgia State will welcome new head coach Rob Lanier to the sidelines after he was hired to lead the program in April.

Lanier spent the previous four seasons as the associate head coach at Tennessee where he helped guide the Volunteers to a No. 1 national ranking last season, including a win over the No. 1 team in the nation Gonzaga.

Despite several new faces to the line-up, two faces remain the same in senior Damon Wilson and junior Kane Williams. Williams earned Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament recognition last year while Wilson made his debut for the Panthers after transferring from Pitt where he played two seasons.

"Our guys are excited to face someone other than themselves," Lanier said at Media Day on Wednesday. "When I arrived here and we got things start thing summer, our staff and players were learning my system. Now they are taking ownership of it and it is our system. It is exciting to see everything come together and we are ready to get things started on Friday night."

Among the newcomers expected to make an immediate impact are redshirt-junior Corey Allen and redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts. Both transfers sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules and are now expected to be key contributors. Allen was the 2017 Horizon League Freshman of the Year and knocked down 82 3-pointers as a sophomore.

Notes:

• The Panthers are 1-0 in regular season games against Point and 1-0 in exhibition games, with both coming in the last five years.
• The Panthers are 15-0 in exhibition games since 2011, including a 14-0 mark at home.
• Since returning to the Sun Belt Conference for the 2013-14 season, Georgia State has finished in the top two in the Sun Belt standings five times in six years.
• Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won 134 games, the most of any NCAA Division 1 program in the state of Georgia.

Season tickets are still available for the 2019-20 season. GSU will play 15 regular season home contests this winter at the GSU Sports Arena. Season tickets can be purchased by calling 404-413-4020 or by visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com/Tix.