Panthers Host Marshall for Education Day

ATLANTA, GA-- After defeating Texas State at home, the Panthers continue conference play inside the GSU Convocation Center by hosting Marshall on Jan. 11 at 11:00 a.m. for Education Day.

> Georgia State has won four of its last five games, including wins over Clemson, Troy and Texas State.

> The Panthers defeated Texas State 64-55 in game three of conference play. Mikyla Tolivert led GSU with 18 points, two blocks and two steals, while Crystal Henderson followed with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Panthers' win over the Bobcats broke a three-game losing streak on the series against Texas State.

> GSU opened conference play with an overtime win over Troy on Dec. 31 after Mya Williams hit a buzzer beater to put the Panthers up 90-89. Mikyla Tolivert hit the tying 3-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation to extend the game into an extra period.

> The Panthers rank third in the Sun Belt in blocks (3.6), bench points (25.4 ppg), 3-point percentage (32.9) and steals per game (11.0). GSU is fifth in the conference in assists (14.2 pg) and forced turnovers (19.92 per game).

> GSU clinched its first Power Five win since 2008 after defeating Clemson 78-72 on the road on Dec.16.. Mya Williams led the Panthers with a season-high 21 points and three assists. Freshman Crystal Henderson put up a then season-high 20 points and five 3-pointers.

> Preseason All-Sun Belt guard Mikyla Tolivert leads GSU in scoring (14.7 ppg) and free throw percentage (.852), which ranks third in the conference. The Melbourne, Fla., native is second on the squad in three point percentage (.409) and ranks top ten in the conference for assists per game (3.3). Tolivert notched a double-double with a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds, and sunk a career-high five 3-pointers in the Panthers' conference opener at Troy (Dec. 31).

> Freshman point guard Crystal Henderson, who has seen the most time on the court, is the Panthers' second-leading scorer at 12.2 ppg while leading the team in assists (4.4 pg), which ranks fourth in the Sun Belt. The Marietta, Ga., native also ranks in the top ten in the Sun Belt for steals (1.8 pg), and is third in the conference in assist-turnover ratio (+1.86). Henderson leads all Sun Belt freshmen in scoring and assists. The freshman leader notched a career-high 24 points and six free throws in the Panthers' win at Troy (Dec. 31).

> Veteran leader Deasia Merrill is the Panthers' second-leading rebounder (6.5 rpg) and ranks third in the Sun Belt for blocks per game (1.45). The 6-1 senior from Villa Rica, Ga., was second on the team in the 2022-23 season with 13.6 points per game, along with a team-leading 7.2 rebounds. She ranked 11th in the Sun Belt in scoring and 10th in rebounding.

> Junior post player Alyssa Phillip, who has seen the second-most time on the court, leads the Panthers squad in rebounding with 6.8 rpg, which ranks in the top 15 in the Sun Belt for rebounds per game. Phillip averages 3.3 ppg on the season. She recorded a career-high five assists in the Panthers' win over Troy.

> Veteran guard Kamryn Dziak averages 3.8 ppg and 1.0 rpg on the season. The graduate ranks top ten in the program after tallying 111 career 3-pointers. Dziak recorded a career -high four steals in the Panthers' victory against LaGrange (Dec. 19). The graduate Panther missed the 2022-23 season due to injury after averaging 4.8 points in 2021-22.

> Veteran Christeina Bryan averages 4.5 ppg and 3.0 rpg. The 6-1 forward has started the last six contests for GSU, averaging 7.3 ppg over the last six games. Bryan tallied a career-high 19 points and two blocks in the Panthers' victory over LaGrange (Dec. 19).

> The Panthers' cast of newcomers includes experienced transfers such as Patience Williams (USF), Mya Williams (Hutchinson C.C.), Erin Turral (Stony Brook), Aniya Palmer (Mississippi State) and Kaleigh Addie (Xavier) as well as promising freshmen like Crystal Henderson (Kell High School), Eghosa Obasuyi (Carrollton) and Aaliyah Hunt (Peachtree Ridge).

SERIES VS. MARSHALL: Georgia State and Sun Belt conference foe Marshall are meeting for the fourth time in program history. The Panthers are 1-2 on the series after defeating the Bison 55-54 at home on Feb. 18, 2023. The Panthers are 1-1 on the series at home.