Men's Basketball 12/17/2020 1:00:00 PM

Panthers Host Carver for Friday Afternoon Matinee

ATLANTA-Looking to continue to build on its best start in 20 years, Georgia State will host Carver College on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m., at the GSU Sports Arena.

Georgia State (4-1) is coming off an impressive win on Wednesday night where redshirt-junior Eliel Nsoseme earned his first career double-double while pulling down 20 rebounds, tied for the fifth-most in a single game in program history.

Carver (0-11) is playing a busy fall schedule against NCAA D1 competition and comes to Atlanta following a loss at Liberty on Wednesday night.

The Panthers are currently ranked No. 10 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and are off to their best start since the 2000-01 season when a 7-0 start led to a school-record 29 wins and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia State enters the game averaging 92.2 points per game which is ranked No. 10 in the NCAA. Following Nsoseme's performance on Wednesday he is averaging 13.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest. He is second in the nation averaging 5.4 offensive rebounds per game and No. 12 in the country averaging 11.0 rebounds per contest.

Senior Kane Williams became the 23^rd Panther in program history to reach the 1,000-career point club earlier this month. He enters Friday just eight points shy from moving into the top 20 in program history. He is already one of just eight players to record 300 or more assists in a Panther uniform. He just missed a double-double with 15 points and nine assists against Mercer on Wednesday.

Broadcast Information

Radio: GSU App/TuneIn Radio, PbP: Dave Cohen, Color: Rodney Turner
Television: ESPN+
Live Stats: GeorgiaStateSports.com

Game Notes
• Georgia State and Carver College will meet on Friday afternoon for the third time with the Panthers winning the two previous games by an average of 32 points.
• Georgia State enters the day ranked No. 10 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. The Panthers have been as high as No. 6 (Nov. 30) this season.
• Georgia State is looking for its best six-game start (5-1) to a season since beginning the 2000-01 season 7-0.
• Georgia State opened the season scoring 100 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time since the first two games of the 1991-92 season and currently rank No. 10 in the country averaging 92.2 ppg.
• Eliel Nsoseme is No. 2 in the NCAA averaging 5.4 offense rebounds per contest and No. 10 averaging 11.0 rebounds per game. He grabbed 20 rebounds against Mercer, tied for the fifth-most in a game in school history, while earning his first career double-double.
• Corey Allen is No. 16 in the nation knocking down 3.6 3-pointers per game. He has drilled 18 so far this year.
• Kane Williams is one of two active Sun Belt Conference player (Marquis Eaton-Arkansas State) with career totals of at least 1,000 points (1,033), 250 rebounds (326) and 250 assists (315). There are 45 active NCAA Division I players with at least 1,000 points, 250 rebounds, and 250 assists.
• Williams, an All-Sun Belt Preseason First Team member, enters with 1,033 career points, eight shy of Trae Goldston for 20th on GSU's all-time list. He is the 23rd Panther to reach the milestone.
• Williams has already become just the eighth player in program history to record 300 or more career assists.
• Senior Justin Roberts was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 1, a day after being named the Lou Henson National Player of the Week.
• GSU's win over Georgia Tech on opening night gave the Panthers their first win ever over an ACC opponent. The Panthers set school records for points scored (123), combined points (243), fouls (37), combined fouls (65) while playing the first triple and quadruple overtime game in school history.
• Also in the win over Tech, four Panthers (Allen, Nsoseme, Roberts, and Williams) each scored 20 or more points marking the first time in program history that feat has been accomplished in a game.
• The win over Tech also gave the Panthers three wins over Power 5 programs in the last two-plus seasons. In 2018-19, Georgia State knocked off both Georgia and Alabama.
• Georgia State knocked down 16 3-pointers against Toccoa Falls on Nov. 27, tied for the fourth-most in program history. The 37 attempts are tied for the fifth-most 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 seven seasons.
• During that same time, GSU has won more games (157) than any other NCAA Division I team in Georgia.
• Georgia State is under the leadership of second-year head coach Rob Lanier. His 19 wins in his first year at the helm is the third-most by a first-year head coach in program history.
• GSU was selected to win the East Division of the Sun Belt this year in the annual preseason poll by the coaches and media.

Following the game on Friday afternoon, Georgia State will close out the non-conference portion of the schedule hosting College of Charleston on Monday night at 7 p.m., in the GSU Sports Arena.

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