Justin Roberts
Erik Rank Photography

Men's Basketball

Panthers Close Non-Conference Play Monday with Middle Georgia State

ATLANTA-Georgia State will close out the non-conference portion of the schedule hosting Middle Georgia State on Monday night at 7 p.m. inside the GSU Sports Arena.

Georgia State (8-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) has won 11-straight home games and 19 of the last 20 at the GSU Sports Arena. The 11-game streak is the fourth-longest in program history and tied for the 21st-longest in the country.

Middle Georgia State (6-5) comes to Atlanta for the second year in a row after falling to the Panthers 117-69 last year in the first regular season match-up between the two programs.

Monday's contest can be heard live on WRAS-FM 88.5 and the GSU Mobile App with John Morgo and former Panther Lamont McIntosh calling the action. The game will also air live on ESPN+ with Matt Stewart and Rodney Turner on the call. Live statistics and live audio will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and on most mobile devices. 

Georgia State saw its seven-game winning streak snapped last time out with an 85-76 loss at SMU, but the Panthers 12-game start is still tied for the fifth-best start to a season in program history.

First year head coach Rob Lanier has the second-most wins in the first 12 games by any first-year coach in program history as the Panthers look to close out the most successful decade in program history. Georgia State has won 196 games since Jan. 1, 2010, blowing past the 158 games won in the 2000's.

Georgia State enters play holding opponents to just 27.0 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 17 in the country and first in the Sun Belt Conference. Offensively the Panthers are shooting 40.5 percent from behind the 3-point line which stands No. 12 in the country. GSU is also averaging 79.9 points per contest which would be among the top five best marks in school history and currently ranks No. 33 in the NCAA.

Junior Kane Williams who was named the 2K Empire Classic Tournament MVP and earned All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team honors is currently averaging 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, while shooting 46.5 percent from 3-point range. He scored a team-high 22 points at SMU.

Lone senior Damon Wilson is averaging 12.1 points per contest while shooting 47.4 percent from the floor and 56.0 percent from 3-point range. He is also pulling down a team-high 4.9 rebounds per game.

Redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts, who earned 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament recognition, is fourth on the team averaging 12.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He has swiped a team-high 26 steals, an average of 2.17 per game which ranks No. 29 in the country.

Redshirt-junior Corey Allen leads the Panthers in scoring averaging 15.9 points per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor. He leads GSU with 32 3-pointers and is shooting 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Notes:
  • Georgia State has won eight straight games over teams from the state of Georgia, including a 2-0 mark this season (Mercer and Brewton-Parker).
  • With a 3-pointer last time out, Georgia State has made at least one 3-pointer in 760 games dating back to Feb. 18, 1995.
  • Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won 142 games, the most of any NCAA Division 1 program in the state of Georgia.
Following Monday's game, Georgia State will begin another stretch of three games in five days traveling to Boone, N.C., on Thursday to face Appalachian State at 7 p.m.

Quick Notes:
•    Georgia State and Middle Georgia State will meet in the regular season for the second-straight season.
•    Georgia State has won eight-straight games over teams from the state of Georgia, including a 2-0 mark so far this season (Mercer and Brewton-Parker).
•    Last time out GSU saw seven game winning streak snapped with an 85-76 loss at SMU. The seven-game streak is tied for the seventh-longest in program history.
•    Georgia State's 8-4 start is tied for the fifth-best start in program history. It marks the third-straight season the Panthers have won 8 of their first 12 games.
•    As the decade comes to an end, the Panthers have won 196 games during the 2010's. The previous best decade was the 2000's when Georgia State won 158.
•    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.
•    In the latest NET Rankings as of Thursday morning, GSU is ranked No. 120 in the nation, second among all Sun Belt schools (Appalachian State, No. 106).
•    The Panthers have won 11-straight home games dating back to last season and 19 of their last 20 home contests. The streak is currently the fourth-longest in program history and tied for the 19th-longest in the nation.
•    Georgia State is currently ranked No. 17 in the country and No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference allowing opponents to shoot just 27.0 percent from 3-point range.
•    GSU is shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 12 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the league.
•    Georgia State is currently scoring 79.9 points per game which would be among the top five best scoring seasons in program history. The average is currently ranked No. 33 in the country.
•    Junior Kane Williams, who was named Tournament MVP of the 2K Empire Classic and to the All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team is averaging 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.
•    Justin Roberts was named to the 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament Team and is currently averaging 2.17 steals per game, No. 39 in the country. He already has three games this season where he recorded five swipes.
•    Last year, Georgia State made its second-straight and third NCAA Tournament in the last five years, the best stretch in program history.
•    GSU has won more games (142) than any other NCAA Division I team in Georgia since the start of the 2013-14 season.
•    Kane 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.
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Players Mentioned

Corey Allen

#11 Corey Allen

G
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Justin Roberts

#2 Justin Roberts

G
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Kane Williams

#12 Kane Williams

G
6' 3"
Junior
Damon Wilson

#1 Damon Wilson

G
6' 5"
Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Corey Allen

#11 Corey Allen

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
G
Justin Roberts

#2 Justin Roberts

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Kane Williams

#12 Kane Williams

6' 3"
Junior
G
Damon Wilson

#1 Damon Wilson

6' 5"
Redshirt Senior
G