Panthers Remain on Road to Face ULM Saturday

LAFAYETTE, La.-Looking to hold its spot on second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, Georgia State will travel to face UL Monroe on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Both Georgia State (15-9, 8-5 Sun Belt) and ULM (6-16, 2-11 Sun Belt) will be looking to snap losing streaks on Saturday. The Panthers have lost two-straight following a tough 80-78 loss to Louisiana on Thursday night, while the Warhawks have lost nine-straight following a two-point loss to Georgia Southern.

The Panthers are 16-8 in the state of Louisiana since returning to the Sun Belt in 2013-14, including a 4-1 mark in the state last season.

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, calling the action. The game will also air live on ESPN+ with 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 86-39 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.

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 39.6 percent shooting from the floor which ranks No. 39 in the NCAA.

Offensively the Panthers average 79.0 points per game which is ranked 22nd in the country and among the top five best averages in program history. Georgia State is shooting 37.5 percent from behind the 3-point line which stands No. 24 in the country. The Panthers are also swiping 8.5 steals per game (No. 28 in the NCAA) while forcing 16.83 turnovers per contest which ranks No. 18 in the country.

Junior Kane Williams who earned All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team honors is currently averaging 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game after finishing with 17 points including 9-of-10 free throws against Louisiana. Lone senior Damon Wilson is averaging 10.6 points and a team-high 5.0 rebounds per contest.

Redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts is second on the team averaging 13.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He leads the team with 40 steals this season and is second with 79 assists.

Redshirt-junior Corey Allen leads the Panthers in scoring averaging 15.0 points per game. He leads GSU with 58 3-pointers which ranks top five in the Sun Belt Conference.

Freshman Joe Jones III rounds out the starting line-up averaging 3.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He is shooting 51.4 percent from the floor.

Notes:

Georgia State leads the all-time series with ULM 9-8.
Redshirt-junior Chris Clerkley has been a part of 83 wins in a GSU uniform. He is just five 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 772 games dating back to Feb. 18, 1995.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won 149 games, the most of any NCAA Division 1 program in the state of Georgia.

Following Saturday's game Georgia State will return home to face Appalachian State on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena. The game will air live on ESPN+ and can be heard on WRAS-FM 88.5.

Quick Notes:
•   Georgia State and ULM will meet for the second time this year and 18th time overall.
•   Georgia State leads the all-time series 9-8 including an impressive 84-62 win in Atlanta last month.
•   GSU has combined to go 16-8 in Louisiana since rejoining the league including a 4-1 mark last year.
•   Georgia State enters play in a tie for second-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings at 8-5 just three games behind Little Rock (11-2) for first place.
•   Last time out GSU overcame a 15-point first half deficit before Louisiana overcame a 13-point deficit to earn an 80-78 win on Thursday.
•   The Panthers already have three wins this season when trailing by 14 or more points, including come-from-behind wins of 15 (California Baptist) and 14 (Texas State and Georgia Southern).
•   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 86-39 in Sun Belt Conference regular season games since rejoining the league in 2013-14. The Panthers are 28-20 in the month 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. 13 in the country allowing opponents to shoot just 28.7 percent from 3-point range. GSU also ranks No. 39 in the country as opponents are shooting just 39.6 percent from the floor.
•   The Panthers are averaging 79.0 points per game, among the top 5 best averages in program history and currently ranked No. 22 in the NCAA.
•   GSU is shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 24 in the NCAA. The Panthers have also knocked down 209 3-pointers which is the 36th-most in the country.
•   Georgia State is currently forcing 16.83 turnovers per contest, the 18th-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 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He just missed a double-double with 13 points and 9 rebounds against Troy.
•   GSU is swiping 8.5 steals per game, ranked No. 28 in the NCAA with 203 total steals (14th in the NCAA).
•   GSU has won more games (149) 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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Players Mentioned

#11 Corey Allen: G; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

#14 Chris Clerkley: F; 6' 8"; Senior

#23 Joe Jones III: C; 6' 9"; Freshman

#2 Justin Roberts: G; 5' 11"; Redshirt Sophomore

#12 Kane Williams: G; 6' 3"; Junior

#1 Damon Wilson: G; 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

#11 Corey Allen
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#14 Chris Clerkley
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F

#23 Joe Jones III
: 6' 9"; Freshman
: C

#2 Justin Roberts
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

#12 Kane Williams
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

#1 Damon Wilson
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior
: G