Panthers Begin New Decade at Appalachian State Thursday

ATLANTA-Looking to begin a new decade in a similar way to the way they finished the last, Georgia State will face Appalachian State on Thursday at the Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, N.C., at 7 p.m.

Georgia State (9-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) closed out the most successful decade in program history earlier this week and will now begin a stretch of three conference road games in five days.

The Panthers open the new year in a five-way first place tie atop the league standings with Appalachian State (8-5, 2-0 Sun Belt) along with Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, and Little Rock. The Mountaineers are the only team currently ahead of Georgia State in the NCAA's NET Rankings.

Thursday's contest can be heard live on WRAS-FM 88.5 and the GSU Mobile App with the Voice of the Panthers Dave Cohen calling the action. The game will also air live on ESPN+. Live statistics and live audio will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and on most mobile devices.

Georgia State, the back-to-back defending Sun Belt Conference tournament champions have compiled an 80-34 league record since rejoining the league in 2013-14. During that six-year span, the Panthers have finished among the top two in the regular season standings five times.

Entering Thursday's game the Panthers have won seven-straight conference games dating back to last season and will be looking for a third-straight win in Boone. Georgia State's 9-4 start is tied for the fourth-best start in program history and marks the third-straight season the Panthers have won nine of their first 13 games.

Georgia State enters play holding opponents to just 25.4 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 6 in the country and first in the Sun Belt Conference. The Panthers held Middle Georgia State to 0-of-17 from 3-point range on Monday night.

Offensively the Panthers are shooting 39.7 percent from behind the 3-point line which stands No. 11 in the country. GSU is also averaging 80.2 points per contest which would be among the top five best marks in school history and currently ranks No. 40 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 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, while shooting 45.8 percent from 3-point range.

Lone senior Damon Wilson is averaging 12.2 points per contest while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 54.8 percent from 3-point range. He is also pulling down a team-high 4.6 rebounds per game.

Redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts, who earned 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament recognition, is third on the team averaging 13.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He was just shy of a triple-double against Middle Georgia State with a career-high tying 22 points along with career-highs of nine rebounds and seven assists. He has swiped a team-high 27 steals, an average of 2.08 per game which ranks No. 49 in the country.

Redshirt-junior Corey Allen leads the Panthers in scoring averaging 15.6 points per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the floor. He leads GSU with 35 3-pointers and is shooting 38.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Notes:

The Panthers are 2-3 'decade openers' dating back to the 1970's and won their last 'decade opener' in 2010.
With a 3-pointer last time out, Georgia State has made at least one 3-pointer in 761 games dating back to Feb. 18, 1995.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won 143 games, the most of any NCAA Division 1 program in the state of Georgia.

Following Thursday's game, Georgia State will continue a stretch of three road games in five days at Coastal Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+ along with the GSU Mobile App.

Quick Notes:
•   Georgia State and Appalachian State will meet for the first of two regular season meetings on Thursday night in the 11th meeting all-time between the two programs.
•   Georgia State and Appalachian State are tied for first place in the Sun Belt Conference standings at 2-0 along with Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, and Little Rock.
•   Appalachian State (No. 101) and Georgia State (No. 115) are the two highest ranked Sun Belt Conference teams in the latest NET Rankings as of Tuesday.
•   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.
•   GSU is 80-34 in Sun Belt Conference regular season games since rejoining the league in 2013-14.
•   Georgia State has won seven-straight conference games dating back to last season which is the 16th-longest winning streak of conference games in the country.
•   Last time out GSU cruised to an 83-53 win over Middle Georgia State while holding the Knights to 0-of-17 shooting from 3-point range.
•   Georgia State's 9-4 start is tied for the fourth-best start in program history. It marks the third-straight season the Panthers have won 9 of their first 13 games.
•   As the decade came to an end, the Panthers finished the 10 year stretch winning 197 games during the 2010's. The previous best decade was the 2000's when Georgia State won 158.
•   GSU has won 12-straight home games dating back to last season and 20 of their last 21 home contests. The streak is currently the fourth-longest in program history and tied for the 16th-longest in the nation.
•   Georgia State is currently ranked No. 6 in the country and No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference allowing opponents to shoot just 25.4 percent from 3-point range.
•   GSU is shooting 39.7 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 11 in the NCAA and No. 2 in the league.
•   Georgia State is currently scoring 80.2 points per game which would be among the top five best scoring seasons in program history. The average is currently ranked No. 40 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 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.
•   Justin Roberts was named to the 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament Team and is currently averaging 2.08 steals per game, No. 49 in the country. He already has three games this season where he recorded five swipes.
•   Freshman Jalen Thomas is averaging 1.46 blocks per game which ranks No. 94 in the NCAA.
•   GSU has won more games (143) than any other 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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