Panthers Return Home to Face Appalachian State Thursday

ATLANTA-Looking to build momentum with just six regular season games remaining, Georgia State will return home and host Appalachian State on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the GSU Sports Arena.

Georgia State (16-9, 9-5 Sun Belt) enters play in a tie for second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings and will be looking to sweep Appalachian State (14-11, 8-6 Sun Belt) in the season series.

The Panthers have won 23 of their last 25 home games and have a three-game winning streak against the Mountaineers despite all three of those games being played in Boone, N.C.

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 87-39 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.

The Panthers have gone 39-of-43 at the free throw line over the last two games led by junior Kane Williams who is 24-of-26 at the charity stripe during that same time frame. The Panthers are shooting 73.6 percent at the line this year which would stand as the third-best mark in program history if the season ended today.

Georgia State enters play holding opponents to just 28.9 percent shooting from 3-point range which ranks No. 14 in the country and first in the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia State is also holding opponents to just 39.7 percent shooting from the floor which ranks No. 36 in the NCAA.

Offensively the Panthers average 78.9 points per game which is ranked 21st in the country and among the top five best averages in program history. Georgia State is shooting 37.0 percent from behind the 3-point line which stands No. 23 in the country. The Panthers are also swiping 8.4 steals per game (No. 25 in the NCAA) while forcing 16.72 turnovers per contest which ranks No. 19 in the country.

Williams, who earned All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team honors, is currently averaging 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game and is shooting 76.8 percent from the free throw line this year. Lone senior Damon Wilson is averaging 10.8 points and a team-high 4.9 rebounds per contest.

Redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts is third on the team averaging 13.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He leads the team with 42 steals this season and is shooting a team-high 84.6 percent from the free throw line.

Redshirt-junior Corey Allen leads the Panthers in scoring averaging 15.0 points per game. He also leads GSU with 61 3-pointers which is tied for second in the Sun Belt Conference.

Freshman Joe Jones III rounds out the starting line-up averaging 3.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He is shooting 51.4 percent from the floor.

Notes:

Georgia State leads the all-time series with Appalachian State 6-5.
The Panthers have played the last four games in the series in Boone as the Mountaineers will make their first appearance in the GSU Sports Arena since 2017.
Redshirt-junior Chris Clerkley has been a part of 84 wins in a GSU uniform. He is just four 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 773 games dating back to Feb. 18, 1995.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won 150 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 face Coastal Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena. The game will air live on ESPN+ and can be heard on the GSU Mobile App.

Quick Notes:
•   Georgia State and Appalachian State will meet for the second time this year and 12th time overall.
•   Georgia State leads the all-time series 6-5 including a 69-60 win in Boone last month.
•   GSU has won 23 of their last 25 home contests, including a stretch of 15-straight that was just snapped against Troy on Feb. 1.
•   Georgia State enters play in a tie for second-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings at 9-5 just three games behind Little Rock (12-2) for first place.
•   Last time out GSU earned a 77-69 win on the road at ULM as the Panthers went 22-of-25 at the FT line.
•   The Panthers are 39-of-43 at the free throw line over the last two games and are shooting 73.6 percent at the charity stripe this year which would be the third-best mark in program history.
•   GSU remains the top team in the Sun Belt Conference in the latest NET Rankings sitting at No. 123.
•   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 87-39 in Sun Belt Conference regular season games since rejoining the league in 2013-14. The Panthers are 29-20 in the month of February since that time.
•   Georgia State has won 50-straight games dating back to 1999 when scoring 90 or more points.
•   GSU ranks No. 1 in the Sun Belt in scoring offense, FG percentage defense, 3-point percentage, 3-point percentage defense, and steals.
•   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. 14 in the country allowing opponents to shoot just 28.9 percent from 3-point range. GSU also ranks No. 36 in the country as opponents are shooting just 39.7 percent from the floor.
•   The Panthers are averaging 78.9 points per game, among the top 5 best averages in program history and currently ranked No. 21 in the NCAA.
•   GSU is shooting 37.0 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 33 in the NCAA. The Panthers have also knocked down 216 3-pointers which is the 45th-most in the country.
•   Georgia State is currently forcing 16.72 turnovers per contest, the 19th-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 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. He is 24-of-26 from the free throw line in the last two games.
•   GSU is swiping 8.4 steals per game, ranked No. 25 in the NCAA with 210 total steals (18th in the NCAA).
•   GSU has won more games (150) 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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