GEORGIA STATE (9-7, 4-1) at APP STATE (13-4, 4-1)
Wednesday, Jan. 17 | 6:30 p.m. | Holmes Convocation Center, Boone, N.C.

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THE TIPOFF: After winning three in a row to move into second place in the Sun Belt Conference, Georgia State hits the road for its next four games, beginning Wednesday at Appalachian State at 6:30 p.m. in Boone, N.C. The Panthers (9-7, 4-1 Sun Belt) are tied with the Mountaineers (13-4, 4-1) and Marshall (9-9, 4-1), one game behind conference leader Troy.

> The Panthers have won five of their last six games, including three straight wins over South Alabama, Old Dominion and Georgia Southern. Now they head on the road for their next four games.

> Georgia State is coming off a 90-62 win over Georgia Southern in which Lucas Taylor scored a career-high 28 points. Toneari Lane added 18 points, and Dwon Odom contributed 15 points, five rebounds and eight assists. The Panthers shot 59.4 percent from the field while holding Georgia Southern to 34.3 percent and outrebounding the Eagles 44-31.

> Last Thursday in Atlanta, Toneari Lane tied his career high with 23 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with two minutes left, as Georgia State rallied from a 20-point first-half deficit for a 77-70 win over Old Dominion. 

> In Georgia State's three straight wins over South Alabama, Old Dominion and Georgia Southern, Toneari Lane has averaged 20.3 points while going 14-for-33 (43 percent) from 3-point range. Lane scored 20 points at South Alabama (6-for-12 3P) and followed with 23 points (5-for-12 3P) vs. ODU and 18 vs. Georgia Southern. Earlier this season, he scored 23 points, his career high, in each of the back-to-back wins over Little Rock.

> Jay'Den Turner leads the Panthers and ranks No. 5 in the Sun Belt with 9.3 rebounds per game, along with 10.9 points. He has opened Sun Belt play with five straight double-figure rebounding games, including three double doubles: 13 ppts/12 rb vs. Arkansas State; 15 pts/11 rb vs. Southern Miss; 11 pts/10 rb vs. South Alabama; 9 pts/15 reb vs. Old Dominion; and 5 pts/15 reb vs. Georgia Southern.

> Dwon Odom, the Preseason All-Sun Belt guard and GSU's top returning scorer, is averaging 11.9 points, 5.5 rebounds (second on team) and 4.8 assists per game. He is second in the Sun Belt in assists and first in assist-to-turnover ratio at +2.8.

> Odom is the only Sun Belt player who is averaging at least four assists AND five rebounds per game. He has three double-figure rebounding games, and he approached a triple-double vs. Old Dominion with 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

> Odom is off to a strong start in Sun Belt play, averaging 15.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists  while shooting 57 percent from the field. He scored a season-high 24 points against Arkansas State, including the deciding free throws with 7.8 seconds left. 

> Four of the Panthers' top five scorers are transfers: Lucas Taylor (14.7), Toneari Lane (13.8), Jay'Den Turner (10.5) and Leslie Nkereuwem (8.3). Dwon Odom is third on the team at 11.9 ppg.

> Lucas Taylor is the Panthers' leading scorer at 14.7 points per game, which ranks 10th in the Sun Belt. Taylor scored a career-high 28 points against Georgia Southern. In his second game in a GSU uniform, the Wake Forest transfer scored 27 points in the 77-70 win at Western Michigan, and he added 22 points in the win at South Alabama. 

> Toneari Lane, the transfer from Winthrop, is second in the Sun Belt with 2.9 3-pointers per game and second in percentage at .333. He is averaging 17.2 points in Sun Belt games.

> Over the last four games, Leslie Nkereuwem has averaged 12.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. He is shooting 76 percent (22-for-29) in the four games.

> Two of Georgia State's five starters are playing in their home state: Lucas Taylor, a Raleigh native (Heritage H.S.) and transfer from Wake Forest, and Jay'Den Turner, a High Point native (Southwest Guilford H.S.) and transfer from Queens.

> Georgia State leads the Sun Belt and ranks No. 38 in Division I in free throw percentage at .757. Dwon Odom is second in the Sun Belt at .882 (No. 38 in D1). Lucas Taylor is second on the team at .864.

SERIES NOTES: App State holds an 11-10 edge in the series. After playing in 1988-89 and 1989-90, both App State wins, the teams did not meet again until the Mountaineers joined the Sun Belt in 2014-15. Since then, Georgia State has a 10-9 advantage.

> App State won both meetings last year, 71-59 in Boone and 78-52 in Atlanta, but Georgia State won the previous two meetings.

> The Panthers are 4-7 in Boone but have won four of the last six, with all four wins coming since 2018, including a 58-49 victory in 2021-22.