ATLANTA, GA-- After winning four of the last six Sun Belt conference matchups, Georgia State hosts Old Dominion for senior day on Feb. 24 at 5:00 p.m. in the GSU Convocation Center.
> Georgia State and Old Dominion are in the hunt for a top four finish in the Sun Belt. The Panthers (9-6) have the chance to tie Old Dominion (10-5) for fourth place in the conference.
STATE IN THE SUN BELT:
> The Panthers are tied for fifth place in the Sun Belt standing with ULM at 9-6, trailing Marshall (14-1), Troy (12-3), James Madison (10-4) and Old Dominion (10-5).
> The Panthers rank third in the Sun Belt in blocks per game (3.2) and bench points (24.0), which ranks 40 in the nation. The Panthers are fourth in the conference in assists per game (13.7) and steals (9.8).
> Georgia State has reached nine Sun Belt wins for the third time in six seasons under head coach Gene Hill, who guided the Panthers to nine conference wins in 2020-21 and 11 Sun Belt victories in 2018-19, which is the high for the Panthers since joining the conference in 2013-14.
> The Panthers have clinched sweeps on the season against Georgia Southern and JMU.
SERIES VS. OLD DOMINION: Georgia State and Old Dominion are meeting for the 19th time in program history. Georgia State is 1-17 on the series against the Monarchs
>The Panthers are 0-1 on the season against ODU after falling 73-65 to the Monarchs on Jan. 27. GSU looks to break a 12 game losing streak against ODU, dating back to the 2008-09 season when the Panthers defeated the Monarchs 75-62 at home.
TOP FRESHMAN IN THE SUN BELT:
> Freshman point guard Crystal Henderson, who has seen the most time on the court, is the Panthers' second-leading scorer at 11.5 ppg. She leads the team in assists (4.3 pg), which ranks fifth in the Sun Belt. Henderson's assist-turnover ratio (+1.59) ranks fourth in the conference. The Marietta, Ga., native also ranks top 10 in the Sun Belt for steals (1.77 pg).
> Henderson leads all Sun Belt freshmen in scoring and assists. She is ranked fifth nationally among all freshmen in Assists per game.
> The freshman leader has recorded 14 double-digit games, including three 20+ games at Clemson (Dec. 16), Troy (Dec. 31) and Georgia Southern (Jan. 24). Henderson notched a career-high 24 points and six free throws in the Panthers' win at Troy (Dec. 31).
> Henderson averages 11.6 ppg and 2.7 rpg in conference play.
PANTHERS TO WATCH:
> Preseason All-Sun Belt guard Mikyla Tolivert leads GSU in scoring (14.2 ppg) and 3-point percentage (.366). The Melbourne, Fla. native is second on the team in free throw percentage (.806), which ranks fifth in the Sun Belt. Tolivert's assist-turnover ratio ranks third on the conference (+1.62), and ranks fourth in the conference in steals (1.77 pg). She ranks top 10 in the conference for assists per game (3.6). 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). She recorded her second double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds against James Madison (Jan. 31).
> Tolivert came within one point of matching her career-high in the Panthers' road contest at Southern Miss (Jan. 18) after netting 26 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. She also went 7-for-7 at the free throw line.
> Tolivert averages 14.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 3.6 assists per game in conference play.
> Veteran leader Deasia Merrill is the Panthers' second-leading rebounder (6.9 rpg) and ranks third in the Sun Belt for blocks per game (1.12). Merrill is fourth on the Panthers' leaderboard in scoring (8.7 ppg). The 6-1 senior from Villa Rica, Ga., notched her fourth double-double of the season in the Panthers' contest against Arkansas state (Feb. 7). She netted a season-high 17 points, 11 rebounds and one assist at South Alabama (Jan. 20). She also tallied a career-high five blocks against Bethune-Cookman (Nov. 22). Merrill 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.
> Merrill hit her 500th career rebound in the Panthers' latest win over Georgia Southern (Feb. 3).
> Junior post player Alyssa Phillip leads the Panthers squad in rebounding with 7.2 rpg, which ranks top 10 in the Sun Belt. The Norcross, Ga., native has posted double-digit rebounds in five games on the season. She matched her career-high 13 rebounds in the Panthers' contest against Marshall (Jan.11) and Georgia Southern (Feb. 3), which she previously set in the 2022-23 season. She also set a career-high five assists in the Panthers' conference-opening win at Troy (Dec. 31). Phillip averages 4.2 ppg on the season.
> Veteran Christeina Bryan averages 5.2 ppg and 3.5 rpg on the season. The Saint Thomas, Jamaica, native has started at the forward position in five conference matchups, averaging 5.4 ppg and 4.2 rpg in Sun Belt play. She missed one game due to injury. Bryan notched a career-high nine rebounds at Clemson (Dec. 16). She also tallied a career-high 19 points and two blocks in the Panthers' victory over LaGrange (Dec. 19).
After closing out its home-series, Georgia State travels to Marshall on Feb. 27 at 6:00 p.m.
