Panthers Begin Final Road Trip at UT Arlington Thursday

ATLANTA-Sitting just a game out of first place, Georgia State will begin its final regular season road trip of the year traveling to Arlington, Texas, to face UT Arlington on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET, at the College Park Center.

After sweeping a home series last weekend, Georgia State (18-9, 11-5 Sun Belt) enters play in second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings just one game back of first-place Little Rock which was swept by the Texas schools last weekend.

UT Arlington (12-15, 8-8 Sun Belt) has won two straight games but has lost five straight to the Panthers including each of the last two Sun Belt Conference tournament championship games.

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, calling the action. The game will also air live on ESPN+. 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 89-39 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 89 wins the most in the league and stands ahead of Louisiana (78) and UT Arlington (75)

The Panthers have gone 81-of-93 (87.1 percent) at the free throw line over the last four games and are now shooting 74.5 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. 15 in the country and first in the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia State is also holding opponents to just 39.5 percent shooting from the floor which ranks No. 31 in the NCAA.

Offensively the Panthers average 79.3 points per game which is ranked 19th 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. 20 in the country. The Panthers are also swiping 8.2 steals per game (No. 31 in the NCAA) while forcing 16.52 turnovers per contest which ranks No. 23 in the country.

Junior Kane Williams, who earned All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team honors, is currently averaging 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game and is shooting 76.4 percent from the free throw line this year. Lone senior Damon Wilson is averaging 11.1 points and a team-high 4.9 rebounds per contest. Wilson, along with Nelson Phillips each scored 20 points the last time out against Coastal Carolina.

Redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts is third on the team averaging 13.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He leads the team with 43 steals this season and is shooting a team-high 86.4 percent from the free throw line.

Redshirt-junior Corey Allen leads the Panthers in scoring averaging 14.3 points per game. He also leads GSU with 63 3-pointers which is tied for third in the Sun Belt Conference. He is just 10 3-pointers shy of moving into the top 10 in 3-pointers in a single season in program history.

Freshman Joe Jones III rounds out the starting line-up averaging 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He is shooting 50.6 percent from the floor.

Notes:

Georgia State head coach Rob Lanier coached UTA head coach Chris Ogden during Ogden's first two seasons at Texas. The pair also coached together at Texas and Tennessee.
Redshirt-junior Chris Clerkley has been a part of 86 wins in a GSU uniform. He is just two 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 775 games dating back to Feb. 18, 1995.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won 152 games, the most of any NCAA Division 1 program in the state of Georgia.

Following Thursday's game Georgia State will conclude the road portion of the regular season schedule at Texas State on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN+ and can be heard on the GSU Mobile App.

Quick Notes:
•   Georgia State and UT Arlington will meet for the second time this year and 18th time overall.
•   Georgia State and UT Arlington opened Sun Belt Conference play back in December. The two teams have faced each other in each of the last two conference tournament finals.
•   The Panthers have won five-straight meetings with the Mavericks (including those two conference tournament finals) and are now 10-4 against UTA since returning to the Sun Belt in 2013-14.
•   GSU coach Rob Lanier and UTA coach Chris Ogden know each other well. Lanier was an assistant coach at Texas from 1999-01 while Ogden played in Austin. The pair also coached together at Texas and Tennessee.
•   Georgia State enters play in second-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings at 11-5 just one game behind Little Rock (12-4) for first place.
•   On Saturday the Panthers went 31-of-34 from the free throw line to top Coastal Carolina 92-80 and earn a third-straight win as Damon Wilson and Nelson Phillips each scored 20 points.
•   The Panthers are 81-of-93 (87.1 percent) at the free throw line over the last four games and are shooting 74.5 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. 114. UT Arlington is the second-highest rated team in the league at No. 119.
•   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 89-39 in Sun Belt Conference regular season games since rejoining the league in 2013-14. The Panthers are 31-20 in the month of February since that time.
•   Georgia State has won 51-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, steals, and 3-pointers made per game.
•   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. 15 in the country allowing opponents to shoot just 28.9 percent from 3-point range. GSU also ranks No. 31 in the country as opponents are shooting just 39.5 percent from the floor.
•   The Panthers are averaging 79.3 points per game, among the top 5 best averages in program history and currently ranked No. 19 in the NCAA.
•   GSU is shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 20 in the NCAA. The Panthers have also knocked down 240 3-pointers which is the 29th-most in the country.
•   Georgia State is currently forcing 16.52 turnovers per contest, the 23rd-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 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.
•   GSU is swiping 8.2 steals per game, ranked No. 31 in the NCAA with 222 total steals (No. 19th).
•   GSU has won more games (152) than any other Division I team in Georgia since the start of 2013-14.

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