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Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

JoJo Toppin

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Eliel Nsoseme

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

JoJo Toppin

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Eliel Nsoseme

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Ryan Boyce

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Eliel Nsoseme

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Collin Moore

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Evan Johnson

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Eliel Nsoseme

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Jalen Thomas

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Corey Allen

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Rob Lanier

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Ryan Boyce

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Corey Allen

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

JoJo Toppin

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Jalen Thomas

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Corey Allen

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Jalen Thomas

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Kane Williams

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Eliel Nsoseme

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Justin Roberts

Photo Credit: Daniel Wilson

Men's Basketball 12/16/2020 8:43:00 PM

Nsoseme Grabs 20 Rebounds as Panthers Top Mercer 88-81

Panthers off to best start since 2000-01

Box Score ATLANTA-Led by a double-double from Eliel Nsoseme including 20 rebounds, Georgia State topped Mercer 88-81 Wednesday night at the GSU Sports Arena in a match-up of two teams ranked in the top 10 of the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.

It took Nsoseme less than a minute into the second half to record his first career double-double, finishing the night with 16 points and 20 rebounds. The 20 rebounds are the most by a Panther since 1995 and the total is tied for the fifth-most in a single-game in program history.

Georgia State, ranked No. 10 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, improved to 4-1, the best start for the program since a 7-0 start during the 2000-01 season that led to a school-record 29 wins and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Mercer (6-1) which entered the day ranked No. 7 in the poll, saw its six-game winning streak to open the season snapped, as the Bears were looking for their first 7-0 start since the 1966-67 season.

Junior Justin Roberts led the Panthers with 17 points and five assists, while senior Kane Williams just missed a double-double with 15 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. Fellow senior Corey Allen chipped in 16 points knocking down three 3-pointers.

The Bears saw five players finish in double-figures led by Neftali Alvarez who scored 17 points. Felipe Haase just missed a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.

After a slow start and trailing by three, Georgia State used a quick 6-0 run to take a 10-7 lead with 14:58 to play in the first half. An 8-0 run later in the half capped by an Evan Johnson jumper gave the Panthers their first double-digit lead of the game, 29-19, with 6:27 to play.

Georgia State went into the locker room with a 47-34 lead after shooting 51.3 percent from the floor. Nsoseme just missed a first-half double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds before the break.

The Panthers pushed the lead to as many as 20 with 12:42 to play before Mercer used an 11-0 run to cut GSU's lead to 69-60 with 9:48 remaining.

Georgia State pushed the lead back to 14 multiple times before the Bears started to chip into the Panther lead late, however, Mercer could get no closer than five with 39 seconds to play.

Jalen Thomas, JoJo Toppin, and Evan Johnson scored eight points a piece for the Panthers. Thomas was returning to the line-up after missing the last three games and helped the Panthers underneath outrebound Mercer 38-37. Georgia State had been outrebounded by Mercer 51-31 last month in Macon.

Game Highlights
• Georgia State and Mercer met for the 85th time and the second time this season. The 85 meetings are the most times the Panthers have faced any one opponent.
• Georgia State has won 19 of the last 23 meetings with the Bears despite an 86-69 defeat at Hawkins Arena last month.
• Nsoseme was looking to join an elite group as only two Panthers in program history have recorded 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game, the last being Chris Collier in 1990.
• Williams, an All-Sun Belt Preseason First Team member, now has 1,033 career points, just eight shy of Trae Goldston for 20th on GSU's all-time list. He is the 23rd Panther to reach the milestone.
• Williams become just the eighth player in program history to record 300 or more career assists earlier this year. With nine assists tonight he moved into sixth-place on the school's career list and just one shy of Eric Ervin for fifth-place with 316.
• 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 seven seasons.
• During that same time, GSU has won more games (157) than any other NCAA Division I team in Georgia.

Georgia State will have a quick turnaround and host Carver College on Friday at 2 p.m., at the GSU Sports Arena.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Corey Allen: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#1 Eliel Nsoseme: F; 6' 9"; Redshirt Junior

#2 Justin Roberts: G; 6' 0"; Junior

#25 Jalen Thomas: F; 6' 10"; Sophomore

#4 JoJo Toppin: G; 6' 6"; Redshirt Sophomore

#12 Kane Williams: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#0 Evan Johnson: G; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#11 Corey Allen
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#1 Eliel Nsoseme
: 6' 9"; Redshirt Junior
: F

#2 Justin Roberts
: 6' 0"; Junior
: G

#25 Jalen Thomas
: 6' 10"; Sophomore
: F

#4 JoJo Toppin
: 6' 6"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

#12 Kane Williams
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#0 Evan Johnson
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: G