Men's Basketball 1/21/2021 10:00:00 AM

Men's Basketball Travels North to Face Appalachian State This Weekend

ATLANTA-In a battle of teams tied for first place in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference standings, Georgia State will travel to Boone, N.C., to face Appalachian State on Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (4 p.m.) at the Holmes Convocation Center.

Georgia State (8-2, 2-1 Sun Belt) is off to its second-best start in program history and will now play Appalachian State (10-5, 4-2 Sun Belt) in four of its next six contests. The Panthers have won three-straight games in the Holmes Convocation Center and four-straight in the series.

Having broke the century mark three times already this season, the Panthers enter Friday's game averaging 86.5 points per game which ranks No. 8 in the NCAA. Georgia State is also top 20 in the nation in assist/turnover ratio and assists per game.

The Panthers are currently ranked No. 7 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, the highest of any Sun Belt Conference team. The Mountaineers are currently receiving votes.

Senior Corey Allen leads the Panthers averaging 15.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He is making 3.5 3-pointers per game, ranked No. 6 in the nation, while shooting 53.8 percent from beyond the arc, which is fifth in the NCAA.

Junior Justin Roberts is averaging 14.7 points per game, while senior Kane Williams, who became the 23^rd Georgia State player to score 1,000 career points earlier this year, is averaging 13.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.

Redshirt-junior Eliel Nsoseme is averaging a double-double of 12.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Only a handful of Panthers in program history have averaged a double-double for the season.

Broadcast Information

Radio: None
Television: ESPN+, PbP: Kendall Lewis, Color: John Reisterer
Live Stats: GeorgiaStateSports.com

Game Notes
• Georgia State, the most successful team in the Sun Belt since returning to the league for the 2013-14 season, travels to Appalachian State for two games. It will mark the first two of four games over the next two weeks against App.
• GSU and Appalachian State are tied atop the East Division of the Sun Belt standings (.667 winning percentages).
• Georgia State enters the weekend ranked No. 7 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, the highest ranked Sun Belt Conference team in the poll. Appalachian State is receiving votes in the poll.
• GSU is off to its second-best start in program history (8-2), only behind the 9-1 start of the 2000-01 season.
• Georgia State has scored 100 or more points in three games this year, matching the school record for times going over the century mark in a season (1988-89 and 1991-92).
• GSU is currently ranked No. 8 in the NCAA averaging 86.5 points per game, while holding an assist/turnover ratio of 1.61 which ranks No. 11 in the NCAA. GSU averages 17.9 assists per game which ranks 17th in the country.
• Eliel Nsoseme is No. 6 in the NCAA averaging 4.38 offensive rebounds per contest and No. 13 averaging 10.5 rebounds per game. He grabbed 20 rebounds against Mercer and has recorded double-doubles in two of his last four games played.
• Corey Allen is No. 6 in the nation knocking down 3.50 3-pointers per game. He has drilled 35 so far this year, 41st-most in the country, while shooting 53.8 percent from deep (No. 5 in the NCAA).
• Allen is currently ranked among the top 40 active scorers in the nation with 1,438 points.
• Kane Williams is one of four active Sun Belt players with career totals of at least 1,000 points (1,079), 250 rebounds (332) and 250 assists (334). There are 59 active NCAA Division I players with those milestones.
• Williams, an All-Sun Belt Preseason First Team member, enters with 1,079 career points, 55 shy of Ryan Harrow for 16th on GSU's all-time list. He is the 23rd Panther to reach the milestone.
• GSU's win over Georgia Tech on opening night gave the Panthers their first win ever over an ACC opponent and third over a Power 5 opponent in the last three years. GSU set school records for points scored (123), combined points (243), fouls (37), combined fouls (65) while playing the first triple and quadruple overtime game in school history.
• Also in the win over Tech, four Panthers (Allen, Nsoseme, Roberts, and Williams) each scored 20 or more points marking the first time in program history that feat has been accomplished in a game.
• In Georgia State's win over Carver, the Panthers set school records for field goals made (51) and assists (34) while seven players scored in double figures, tying a school record.
• 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.
• During that same time, GSU has won more games (161) than any other NCAA Division I team in Georgia.
• Georgia State is under the leadership of second-year head coach Rob Lanier. His 19 wins in his first year at the helm is the third-most by a first-year head coach in program history.
• GSU was selected to win the East Division of the Sun Belt this year in the annual preseason poll by the coaches and media.

Following the games this weekend, Georgia State will return home for five-straight games starting with South Alabama Jan. 29 (8:30 p.m.) and Jan. 30 (6:30 p.m.) at the GSU Sports Arena.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Corey Allen: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#1 Eliel Nsoseme: F; 6' 9"; Redshirt Junior

#2 Justin Roberts: G; 6' 0"; Junior

#12 Kane Williams: G; 6' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#11 Corey Allen
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#1 Eliel Nsoseme
: 6' 9"; Redshirt Junior
: F

#2 Justin Roberts
: 6' 0"; Junior
: G

#12 Kane Williams
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G