Panthers Host Little Rock for Senior Night Tuesday

ATLANTA-Georgia State will close out the regular season hosting Sun Belt Conference regular season champion Little Rock on Tuesday night in the GSU Sports Arena at 7 p.m. for Senior Night.

Prior to the start of Tuesday's game Georgia State will honor senior Damon Wilson along with redshirt-junior Chris Clerkley who will each be playing their final regular season game at home.

Georgia State (18-12, 11-8 Sun Belt) will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak and secure the highest possible seed in the conference tournament which begins later this week. Depending on results of the six league-wide games on Tuesday, the Panthers could be seeded anywhere from No. 3 to No. 5 in the conference championship which would result in the Panthers playing a home game either next Monday, March 9, or Wednesday, March 11.

Little Rock (21-9, 15-4) has posted one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college basketball this season. The Trojans were selected to finish in 11^th place in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll, but have already won 11 more games than last year, the second-biggest improvement of any team in the country. Little Rock wrapped up the conference's regular season title on Saturday and is guaranteed the No. 1 seed in this year's championship.

Tuesday'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 89-42 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 (79) and UT Arlington (77).

The Panthers have gone 112-of-141 (79.4 percent) at the free throw line over the last seven games and are now shooting 73.7 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 28.5 percent shooting from 3-point range which ranks No. 8 in the country and first in the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia State is also holding opponents to just 40.1 percent shooting from the floor which ranks No. 39 in the NCAA.

Offensively the Panthers average 78.3 points per game which is ranked 22nd in the country and among the top five best averages in program history. Georgia State is shooting 36.7 percent from behind the 3-point line which stands No. 35 in the country. The Panthers are also swiping 8.0 steals per game (No. 35 in the NCAA) while forcing 16.03 turnovers per contest which ranks No. 31 in the NCAA.

Junior Kane Williams, who earned All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team honors, is currently averaging 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game and is shooting 76.1 percent from the free throw line this year.

Wilson, who will be honored before the game is averaging 10.9 points and a team-high 4.9 rebounds per contest. He has played 64 games in a Panther uniform after transferring to GSU following two seasons at Pitt.

He will be joined by Clerkley who is looking to become the winningest player in program history. He has been a part of 86 wins in his four years, just one shy of Ryann Green's school record of 87. He has played in 57 games and gradated in December with a degree in speech communications.

Redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts is third on the team averaging 13.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He leads the team with 47 steals this season and is shooting a team-high 85.7 percent from the free throw line.

Redshirt-junior Corey Allen is second on the Panthers in scoring averaging 13.9 points per game. He also leads GSU with 68 3-pointers which is third-most in the most in the Sun Belt Conference. He is just five 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 3.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He is shooting 51.8 percent from the floor.

Notes:

Little Rock leads the all-time series with Georgia State 19-8 however the Panthers have won eight of 11 after the Trojans won the first 16 games in the series.
With a 3-pointer last time out, Georgia State has made at least one 3-pointer in 778 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 Tuesday's game Georgia State will learn its seeding for the conference tournament. A game date and time will be announced at that time.

Quick Notes:
•   Georgia State and first-place Little Rock will meet for the first time this season in the 28th meeting all-time between the two programs.
•   The Panthers have won four-straight against the Trojans and eight of the last 11 games in the series.
•   Georgia State enters play in fifth place in the Sun Belt Conference standings and will be seeded between the No. 3 and No. 5 at the conclusion of Tuesday night's games (see page 2 for scenarios).
•   Georgia State will honor senior Damon Wilson and redshirt-junior Chris Clerkley before Tuesday night's game as they play their last regular season home game in a Panther uniform.
•   Clerkley needs one win to tie for the most wins of any Panther in a four-year stretch in program history.
•   GSU has won 24 of their last 27 home contests, including two-straight in the Sports Arena against Little Rock.
•   The Panthers are 112-of-141 (79.4 percent) at the free throw line over the last seven games and are shooting 73.7 percent at the charity stripe this year which would be the third-best mark 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.
•   GSU is 89-42 in Sun Belt Conference regular season games since rejoining the league in 2013-14. The Panthers are 20-10 in the month of March 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.
•   GSU is currently ranked No. 8 in the country allowing opponents to shoot just 28.5 percent from 3-point range. GSU also ranks No. 39 in the country as opponents are shooting just 40.1 percent from the floor.
•   The Panthers are averaging 78.3 points per game, among the top 5 best averages in program history and currently ranked No. 22 in the NCAA.
•   GSU is shooting 36.7 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 35 in the NCAA. The Panthers have also knocked down 265 3-pointers which is the 34th-most in the country.
•   Georgia State is currently forcing 16.03 turnovers per contest, the 31st-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 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.
•   GSU is swiping 8.0 steals per game, ranked No. 35 in the NCAA with 240 total steals (No. 31).
•   GSU has won more games (152) than any other Division I team in Georgia since the start of 2013-14.
•   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.
•   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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