Panthers Host Coastal Carolina Saturday; Great Baby Race at Halftime

ATLANTA-Coming off a big win on Thursday night, Georgia State will look to continue its momentum with just five regular season games remaining hosting Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the GSU Sports Arena.

Georgia State (17-9, 10-5 Sun Belt) enters play in a tie for second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings just two games back of first-place Little Rock with just over three weeks to play.

Coastal Carolina (13-13, 6-9 Sun Belt) enters play having lost six of its last eight games including a 79-69 loss at Georgia Southern on Thursday night.

The Panthers have won 24 of their last 26 home games and will be hosting the Chanticleers for the first time since 2017. Georgia State will welcome back former men's basketball alums during the game.

Saturday's contest can be heard live on 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 88-39 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 50-of-59 at the free throw line over the last three games and are now shooting 73.4 percent at the line this year which would stand as the fourth-best mark in program history if the season ended today.

Georgia State enters play holding opponents to just 28.7 percent shooting from 3-point range which ranks No. 13 in the country and first in the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia State is also holding opponents to just 39.4 percent shooting from the floor which ranks No. 31 in the NCAA.

Offensively the Panthers average 78.8 points per game which is ranked 21st in the country and among the top five best averages in program history. Georgia State is shooting 37.6 percent from behind the 3-point line which stands No. 22 in the country. The Panthers are also swiping 8.3 steals per game (No. 29 in the NCAA) while forcing 16.46 turnovers per contest which ranks No. 22 in the country.

Junior Kane Williams, who earned All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team honors, is currently averaging 13.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game and is shooting 75.5 percent from the free throw line this year. Lone senior Damon Wilson is averaging 10.7 points and a team-high 4.9 rebounds per contest. He is one of seven Panthers shooting 70.0 percent or better at the free throw line this year.

Redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts is third on the team averaging 13.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He leads the team with 43 steals this season and is shooting a team-high 85.2 percent from the free throw line.

Redshirt-junior Corey Allen leads the Panthers in scoring averaging 14.5 points per game. He also leads GSU with 62 3-pointers which is tied for second in the Sun Belt Conference.

Freshman Joe Jones III rounds out the starting line-up averaging 3.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He is shooting 51.4 percent from the floor.

Notes:

The Panthers have played the last four games in the series in Conway, S.C. as the Chanticleers will make their first appearance in the GSU Sports Arena since 2017.
Redshirt-junior Chris Clerkley has been a part of 85 wins in a GSU uniform. He is just three 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 774 games dating back to Feb. 18, 1995.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won 151 games, the most of any NCAA Division 1 program in the state of Georgia.

Following Saturday's game Georgia State will begin its final regular season road trip of the year at UT Arlington on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN+ and can be heard on WRAS-FM 88.5 and the GSU Mobile App.

Quick Notes:
•   Georgia State and Coastal Carolina will meet for the second time this year and eighth time overall.
•   Coastal Carolina leads the all-time series 5-2, however this will be just the third game in Atlanta.
•   GSU has won 24 of their last 26 home contests, including a 76-65 win over Appalachian State on Thursday.
•   Georgia State enters play in a tie for second-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings at 10-5 just two games behind Little Rock (12-3) for first place.
•   On Thursday the Panthers knocked down 13 3-pointers and have now made 229 this season. GSU also recorded a season-high 10 blocked shots and now have 114 this year which is No. 32 in the NCAA.
•   The Panthers are 50-of-59 at the free throw line over the last three games and are shooting 73.4 percent at the charity stripe this year which would be the fourth-best mark in program history.
•   GSU remains the top team in the Sun Belt Conference in the latest NET Rankings sitting at No. 120.
•   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 88-39 in Sun Belt Conference regular season games since rejoining the league in 2013-14. The Panthers are 30-20 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, blocked shots, 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. 13 in the country allowing opponents to shoot just 28.7 percent from 3-point range. GSU also ranks No. 31 in the country as opponents are shooting just 39.4 percent from the floor.
•   The Panthers are averaging 78.8 points per game, among the top 5 best averages in program history and currently ranked No. 21 in the NCAA.
•   GSU is shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 22 in the NCAA. The Panthers have also knocked down 229 3-pointers which is the 29th-most in the country.
•   Georgia State is currently forcing 16.46 turnovers per contest, the 22nd-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, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.
•   GSU is swiping 8.3 steals per game, ranked No. 29 in the NCAA with 215 total steals (17th in the NCAA).
•   GSU has won more games (151) 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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