Panthers Host ULM Saturday

ATLANTA-Following its most impressive performance of the season, Georgia State will remain at home and look to extend a 13-game home court winning streak hosting ULM at the GSU Sports Arena on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Georgia State (11-6, 4-2 Sun Belt) enters play on Saturday tied with in-state rival Georgia Southern for second-place in the conference standings after routing Louisiana 90-52 on Thursday night. The Panthers shot a season-best 54.2 percent from the floor while allowing the Ragin' Cajuns to score just 19 first half points.

ULM (6-9, 2-4 Sun Belt) dropped a hard-fought game at Georgia Southern on Thursday night and will be looking to earn just its fourth win over the Panthers in the last 12 games.

Saturday's contest can be heard live GeorgiaStateSports.com and the GSU Mobile App with Dave Cohen, now in his 37^th year as the Voice of the Panthers, being joined by former Panther Lamont McIntosh calling the action. The game will also air live on ESPN+ with Sam Crenshaw and Rodney Turner on the call. Live statistics and live audio will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and on most mobile devices.

Georgia State, the back-to-back defending Sun Belt Conference tournament champions have compiled an 82-36 league record since rejoining the league in 2013-14. During that six-year span, the Panthers have finished among the top two in the regular season standings five times.

Georgia State's 11-6 start is tied for the fifth-best start in program history. The Panthers 13-game home court winning streak is the fourth-longest in program history and currently tied for the 14^th-longest in the country.

Georgia State enters play holding opponents to just 26.1 percent shooting from 3-point range which ranks No. 5 in the country and first in the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia State is also holding opponents to just 38.4 percent shooting from the floor which ranks No. 29 in the country.

Offensively the Panthers averaging 80.0 points per game which is ranked 23^rd in the country and among the top five best averages in program history. Georgia State is shooting 39.0 percent from behind the 3-point line which stands No. 12 in the country. The Panthers are also swiping 9.8 steals per game (No. 10 in the NCAA) while forcing 17.53 turnovers per contest which ranks No. 22 in the country.

Junior Kane Williams who was named the 2K Empire Classic Tournament MVP and earned All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team honors is currently averaging 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game having dished out 28 assists in the last four contests.

Lone senior Damon Wilson is averaging 11.7 points and a team-high 4.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 45.1 percent from 3-point range.

Redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts, who earned 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament recognition, is third on the team averaging 12.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He has swiped a team-high 35 steals, an average of 2.06 per game which ranks No. 52 in the country.

Redshirt-junior Corey Allen leads the Panthers in scoring averaging 14.9 points per game while shooting 43.0 percent from the floor. He leads GSU with 43 3-pointers which ranks fourth in the Sun Belt Conference. He scored a team-best 24 points against Louisiana on Thursday.

Freshman Joe Jones III rounds out the starting line-up averaging 4.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He is shooting 53.4 percent from the floor and just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds at Coastal Carolina last Saturday.

Notes:

Georgia State and ULM have each won eight of the 16 games played between the teams so far.
The Panthers have won five of the last six match-ups with the Warhawks in the GSU Sports Arena.
With a 3-pointer last time out, Georgia State has made at least one 3-pointer in 765 games dating back to Feb. 18, 1995.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Panthers have won 145 games, the most of any NCAA Division 1 program in the state of Georgia.

Following Saturday's game, Georgia State will return to the road for its next three games beginning Thursday at South Alabama. Tip is set for 8 p.m. ET in Mobile and can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on WRAS-FM 88.5.

Quick Notes:
•   Georgia State and ULM will meet for the first of two regular season meetings on Saturday afternoon in the 17th meeting all-time between the two programs.
•   GSU has won 13-straight home games dating back to last season and 21 of their last 22 home contests. The streak is currently the fourth-longest in program history and tied for the 14th-longest in the nation.
•   Georgia State enters play in a tie with Georgia Southern for second-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings at 4-2, just one game back of 5-1 Little Rock.
•   Last time out Georgia State routed Louisiana 90-52 on Thursday night. The Panthers dished out 24 assists on 32 made field goals. The 24 assists are tied for the ninth-most in program history.
•   Georgia State remains the top team in the Sun Belt Conference in the latest NET Rankings sitting at No. 105 as of Friday morning.
•   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 six seasons.
•   GSU is 82-36 in Sun Belt Conference regular season games since rejoining the league in 2013-14.
•   The Panthers currently rank No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring margin, field goal percentage defense, 3-point percentage, 3-point percentage defense, assists, and steals.
•   Georgia State's 11-6 start is tied for the fifth-best start in program history.
•   As the decade came to an end, the Panthers finished the 10 year stretch winning 197 games during the 2010's. The previous best decade was the 2000's when Georgia State won 158.
•   GSU is currently ranked No. 5 in the country allowing opponents to shoot just 26.1 percent from 3-point range. GSU also ranks No. 29 in the country as opponents are shooting just 38.4 percent from the floor.
•   The Panthers are averaging 80.0 points per game, among the top 5 best averages in program history and currently ranked No. 23 in the NCAA.
•   GSU is shooting 39.0 percent from 3-point range which ranks No. 12 in the NCAA.
•   Georgia State is currently forcing 17.53 turnovers per contest, the 22nd-best mark in the NCAA.
•   Junior Kane Williams, who was named Tournament MVP of the 2K Empire Classic and to the All-Sun Belt Preseason Second Team is averaging 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.
•   Justin Roberts was named to the 2K Empire Classic All-Tournament Team and is currently averaging 2.06 steals per game, No. 52 in the country. He already has three games this season where he recorded five swipes.
•   As a team, GSU is swiping 9.8 steals per game, ranked No. 10 in the NCAA.
•   GSU has won more games (145) than any other Division I team in Georgia since the start of the 2013-14 season.
•   Kane Williams is one of just nine active juniors in the country to have won conference tournaments in each of their first two years and appeared in NCAA Tournament games.

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