Panthers Face South Alabama to Begin Second Half of Conference Play Thursday

ATLANTA-After reaching the halfway point of conference play last weekend, Georgia State will return home to face South Alabama for the second time in two weeks on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena.

Georgia State (14-7, 7-3 Sun Belt) sits alone in second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings just 1.5 games behind Little Rock for the top spot in the league. The Panthers have won 14-straight and 21-of-22 home games dating back to last season.

South Alabama (12-10, 5-6 Sun Belt) was the league's preseason favorite but stands in eighth place as teams reach the second half of a 20-game conference schedule.

The Panthers have won four-straight and 12-of-14 against the Jaguars including a 72-63 win in Mobile two weeks ago when Georgia State knocked down 15 3-pointers.

Thursday's contest can be heard live on WRAS-FM 88.5 and the GSU Mobile App with Dave Cohen, now in his 37^th year as the Voice of the Panthers, being joined by former Panther Lamont McIntosh calling the action. The game will also air live on ESPN+ with Sam Crenshaw and Rodney Turner on the call. 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 85-37 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.

Georgia State's 14-7 start is tied for the fifth-best start in program history. Since rejoining the conference, the Panthers are 44-13 in the month of January, including a 5-3 mark this year. That mark includes last weekend's 82-77 win at in-state rival Georgia Southern when the Panthers overcame a 14-point deficit with 12:55 to play. Georgia State has three wins this season when trailing by at least 14 points.

Georgia State enters play holding opponents to just 27.5 percent shooting from 3-point range which ranks No. 3 in the country and first in the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia State is also holding opponents to just 39.0 percent shooting from the floor which ranks No. 31 in the NCAA.

Offensively the Panthers average 79.2 points per game which is ranked 25th in the country and among the top five best averages in program history. Georgia State is shooting 39.7 percent from behind the 3-point line which stands No. 10 in the country. The Panthers are also swiping 9.0 steals per game (No. 20 in the NCAA) while forcing 17.43 turnovers per contest which ranks No. 18 in the country.

Junior Kane Williams who earned All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team honors is currently averaging 13.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while lone senior Damon Wilson is averaging 11.8 points and a team-high 4.9 rebounds per contest. He finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebound at South Alabama two weeks ago.

Redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts is second on the team averaging 13.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He has knocked down 18 3-pointers in the last four games including six against the Jaguars.

Redshirt-junior Corey Allen leads the Panthers in scoring averaging 14.6 points per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the floor. He leads GSU with 50 3-pointers which ranks sixth in the Sun Belt Conference.

Freshman Joe Jones III rounds out the starting line-up averaging 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He is shooting 50.8 percent from the floor.

Notes:

Georgia State leads the all-time series with South Alabama 16-15.
Redshirt-junior Chris Clerkley has been a part of 82 wins in a GSU uniform. He is just six wins shy of being a part of the winningest four-year stretch in program history.
With a 3-pointer last time out, Georgia State has made at least one 3-pointer in 769 games dating back to Feb. 18, 1995.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won 148 games, the most of any NCAA Division 1 program in the state of Georgia.

Following Thursday's game, Georgia State will remain at home and host Troy on Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by visiting GeorgiaStateSports.com/Tix or calling 404-413-4020 during normal business hours.

Quick Notes:
•   Georgia State and South Alabama will meet for the second time in two weeks and the 32nd time overall.
•   The two programs were original members of the Sun Belt Conference. With GSU's win last time out, the Panthers took a 16-15 lead in the series and have won 12 of the last 14 match-ups.
•   GSU has won 14-straight home games dating back to last season and 22 of their last 23 home contests. The streak is currently the fourth-longest in program history and tied for the 14th-longest in the nation.
•   Georgia State enters play in second-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings at 7-3 just 1.5 games behind Little Rock (9-2) for first place.
•   Last time out Georgia State overcame a 14-point deficit with 12:55 to play to top in-state rival Georgia Southern 82-77. The Panthers have won three games this season when trailing by at least 14 points.
•   GSU remains the top team in the Sun Belt Conference in the latest NET Rankings sitting at No. 108.
•   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 85-37 in Sun Belt Conference regular season games since rejoining the league in 2013-14. The Panthers are also 44-13 (.772) in January since that time.
•   GSU ranks No. 1 in the Sun Belt in scoring offense, scoring margin, FG percentage defense, 3-point percentage, 3-point percentage defense, blocked shots, assists, steals, and 3-pointers made per game.
•   Georgia State's 14-7 start is tied for the fifth-best start in program history.
•   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 is currently ranked No. 3 in the country allowing opponents to shoot just 27.5 percent from 3-point range. GSU also ranks No. 31 in the country as opponents are shooting just 39.0 percent from the floor.
•   The Panthers are averaging 79.2 points per game, among the top 5 best averages in program history and currently ranked No. 25 in the NCAA.
•   GSU is shooting 39.0 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 10 in the NCAA. The Panthers have also knocked down 188 3-pointers which is the 40th-most in the country.
•   Georgia State is currently forcing 17.43 turnovers per contest, the 18th-best mark in the NCAA.
•   Junior Kane Williams, who was named Tournament MVP of the 2K Empire Classic and to the All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team is averaging 13.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.
•   GSU is swiping 9.0 steals per game, ranked No. 20 in the NCAA with 188 total steals (15th in the NCAA).
•   GSU has won more games (148) 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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