Men's Basketball Faces Georgetown Sunday Night on FS1

ATLANTA-Just over 21 years since the two programs last met, Georgia State will travel to Washington D.C. to face Georgetown on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m., before a nationally televised audience. It will mark the second of four-straight games as a part of the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project.

Georgia State (1-2) is coming off a tough 11-point loss to No. 2 Duke on Friday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Panthers were tied with the Blue Devils three minutes into the second half before a 20-4 run in favor of Duke put the game out of reach.

Georgetown (2-1) is coming off a 13-point loss to Penn State on Thursday night after opening the event with a win over Central Arkansas.

Sunday's contest can be heard live on WRAS-FM 88.5 with Dave Cohen, now in his 37^th year as the Voice of the Panthers calling the action. The game will also air live on FS1 with Dave Sims and Donny Marshall on the call. Live statistics and live audio will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and on most mobile devices.

Georgia State and Georgetown last met for a home and home series in 1997 and 1998. Under legendary Hall of Fame coaches Charles "Lefty" Driesell and John Thompson, the Hoyas took both games in the series, including one in the Georgia Dome played in front of more than 10,000 fans.

This will mark the eighth time in the last night years the Panthers have participated in an in-season tournament. Last year Georgia State combined to go 3-1 in the Cayman Islands Classic finishing in third-place after a win over in-state foe Georgia.

Georgia State won new head coach Rob Lanier's debut just over a week ago. Under Lanier's guidance, the Panthers are holding opponents to just 34.1 percent shooting which ranks No. 22 in the NCAA. The team is also pulling down 15.67 offensive boards per game which ranks 17^th in the country.

All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team member Kane Williams, who also earned Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament recognition last year, is currently second on the team averaging 14.3 points and 4.7 assists per game, while shooting 46.2 percent from 3-point range.

Redshirt-junior Corey Allen who enters his first season on the court for the Panthers leads the squad averaging 14.7 points per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the floor. Senior Damon Wilson and freshman Joe Jones III are tied for the team lead pulling down 5.7 rebounds per contest.

Notes:

The Panthers are playing a member of the Big East for a second-straight year after facing Creighton in the Cayman Islands Classic last season.
With a 3-pointer on Friday, Georgia State has made at least one 3-pointer in 751 games dating back to Feb. 18, 1995.
Sophomore Kavonte Ivery is currently tied for No. 1 in the country with a perfect 1.000 free throw percentage going 8-of-8 from the line.
Rob Lanier became the first Georgia State head coach since 1981-82 to win their debut with the Panthers. Seven previous coaches garnered a loss in their Georgia State debut.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won 135 games, the most of any NCAA Division 1 program in the state of Georgia.

Following Sunday night's game, Georgia State will continue a stretch of five-straight games away from home on Friday facing Prairie View A&M as a part of the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project in Riverside, Calif. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live on FloHoops.

Quick Notes:
•   Georgia State and Georgetown will be meeting for the third time on Sunday night. The previous meetings came in 1997 and 1998 when the two programs were led by Hall of Fame coaches Charles "Lefty" Driesell and John Thompson.
•   The Panthers will be playing a currently member of the Big East for the second-straight season (Creighton - Cayman Islands Classic) and for the third time in the last five years (Xavier - 2015 NCAA Tournament).
•   Last time out Georgia State fell to No. 2 Duke 74-63 on Friday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Panthers were tied with the Blue Devils 40-40 with 17:25 to play before Duke used a 20-4 run to put the game out of reach for GSU.
•   With the opening night win, Rob Lanier became the first Georgia State head coach to win their debut since the 1981-82 season when Jim Jarrett won his debut. Lanier previously served as the Associate Head Coach at Tennessee.
•   The Panthers are looking to start the season 2-2. The last time Georgia State was 1-3 thru four games was the 2011-12 season.
•   Last year, Georgia State made its second-straight and third NCAA Tournament in the last five years, the best stretch in program history.
•   Since returning to the Sun Belt in 2013-14, Georgia State has finished in the top two of the final regular season conference standings five times in six seasons.
•   During that same time frame, Georgia State has won more games (135) than any other NCAA Division I team in Georgia.
•   Junior Kane Williams was selected to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team. He finished last year earning Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament recognition.
•   Williams is one of just nine active juniors in the country to have won conference tournaments in each of their first two years and appeared in NCAA Tournament games.
•   22 is a Magic Number: Both senior Damon Wilson and redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts have set career highs in the first two games by scoring 22 points. Wilson did it against Brewton-Parker, while Roberts scored 22 at College of Charleston.
•   Sophomore Kavonte Ivery finished with 13 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes against Brewton-Parker. As a freshman Ivery scored a total of nine points and played a total of 36 minutes.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Corey Allen: G; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

#0 Kavonte Ivery: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#23 Joe Jones III: C; 6' 9"; Freshman

#2 Justin Roberts: G; 5' 11"; Redshirt Sophomore

#12 Kane Williams: G; 6' 3"; Junior

#1 Damon Wilson: G; 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

#11 Corey Allen
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#0 Kavonte Ivery
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: F

#23 Joe Jones III
: 6' 9"; Freshman
: C

#2 Justin Roberts
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

#12 Kane Williams
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

#1 Damon Wilson
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior
: G