ATLANTA-- After a two-game road swing, Georgia State returns back to Atlanta to open February play against Troy on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Panthers have had a strong showing on home court, securing six wins overall and three in Sun Belt action, including victories against Marshall, Southern Miss and Arkansas State at the GSU Convocation Center.

Two Panthers have beaten career-highs in points scored in the last three games, both records that were previously held for at least a year. Jelani Hamilton notched a Sun Belt-high 38 points in the Panthers upset over Arkansas State (Jan. 24) and Malachi Brown led the team with 25 points at Louisiana (Jan. 29). 

Coming into conference play ranking 13th in the Sun Belt, Georgia State racked up wins in seven of its last 11 games to take over the No. 6 spot in the Sun Belt.  

The Panthers' hit the road for their last road swing on Feb. 12-14 before ending the season at home. 

Georgia State will stay at home to finish the season with four-straight contests, tipping off with a rivalry contest against Georgia Southern on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 8:00 p.m. before capping off the regular season hosting James Madison (Feb. 21), Coastal Carolina (Feb. 24) and Old Dominion (Feb. 27).

THE SERIES: 

The two are meeting for the 45th time in program history and the 23rd time in Sun Belt action. A long-standing series dating back to the 1996-97 season, the Panthers hold a 14–9 home court advantage and are 17–17 against Troy in conference play since Georgia State joined in 2013. Georgia State looks to even the series and add another at-home win against the Trojans. 
 

NATIONALLY RANKED IN FREE THROWS: 

Georgia State leads the Sun Belt and ranks No.5 nationally in free throw efficiency after converting free throws at a 79.3 percent clip.

Helping the Panthers to a national ranking in free throw percentage is Redshirt sophomore Jelani Hamilton, who has a near-prefect 91.6 free throw average after going 120-for-131 at the free-throw line. His free throw average leads the Sun Belt and ranks 12th nationally in free throw efficiency. Hamilton went on a 22-free-throws-made streak from Dec. 20-Jan. 10. His 22 consecutive free throws made ranks eighth in program history, 17 shots away from the record of 38.  

Tucker also tops the Sun Belt rankings in free throw percentage after notching an 85.5  percentage from the line to place fifth overall against conference opponents.

TOPPING THE SUN BELT CHARTS: 

In addition to leading the Sun Belt and holding a No. 5 national ranking in free throw percentage through yet another week, Jelani Hamilton tops Sun Belt rankings in points per game and holds top five spots in multiple categories. 

Hamilton's 18.7 ppg leads the Sun Belt and ranks top 100 in the NCAA. He also leads the conference and ranks No. 36 in the nation for steals per game with 2.06. His 37 total steals ranks fifth in the conference. Hamilton's 120 total free throws ranks second in the Sun Belt. 
 

SHOOTERS SHOOT: 

Georgia State averages 71.0 points per game, shooting 38.2 percent from the field.The Panthers have connected 9.1 three-pointers per game while shooting 32.6 percent from behind the arc. 

Georgia State has recorded six games of 80 or more points, including a season-high 110 points vs. Columbia College (Dec. 28).

The Panthers average 23.04 ppg off the bench, accounting for 32.5 percent of Georgia State's Overall offensive productivity. The team ranks sixth overall in the conference for bench points per game.  

 UP NEXT: 

The Panthers will stay at home to face SBC-MAC Challenge opponents Northern Illinois on Saturday (Feb. 7) before taking its last road swing of the season.