GEORGIA STATE (6-9, 0-3 SBC) vs. GEORGIA SOUTHERN (11-5, 2-2 SBC)
Saturday, Jan. 22 • 11:30 a.m. • GSU Sports Arena

COVERAGE: ESPN+
TICKETS: GeorgiaStateSports.com | 404-413-4020

THE TIPOFF

• Georgia State (6-8, 0-2 Sun Belt) continues its five-game homestand by hosting Sun Belt Conference foe and in-state rival Georgia Southern (11-5, 2-2 Sun Belt) at 11:30 a.m. at the GSU Sports Arena. The game will air on ESPN+ and is a doubleheader with the Panther men's team, which hosts Coastal Carolina at 2 p.m.

• The matchup with Georgia Southern is the third of five straight home games for the Panthers, who host upcoming games with South Alabama (Jan. 27) and Troy (Jan. 29). GSU will not play another road game until Feb. 5 at Georgia Southern.

• Georgia State is looking for its first Sun Belt victory of the season after dropping games last week to UT Arlington and Texas State.

• Freshman Nyla Jean has stepped into the starting lineup the last three games and averaged 12.0 points. She contributed 11 points, four rebounds and three steals vs. Coastal Carolina, followed by 12 points and four boards vs. UTA, and then a career-high 13 points vs. Texas State, when she was 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

• Moriah Taylor has come off the bench to hit 10-of-14 3-pointers over the last five games.

• After missing 10 games due to injury, Hannah Sadler saw her most significant playing time of the season vs. UTA and responded with season highs of 14 points (including 6-of-7 FT) and four rebounds in just 15 minutes.

• Kamryn Dziak hit four treys on seven attempts for a season-high 12 points vs. UTA.

• Ashley Foster leads GSU in scoring at 11.2 ppg, and she is second on the team in rebounding (4.0), assists (23) and steals (18). She scored a career-high 19 points at Florida to open the season and has reached double figures in eight games, including a 17-point performance vs. Florida A&M. 

• Georgia State has already used eight different starting lineups, with 10 different players starting at least one game. No Panther has started every games, and only three (Kamryn Dziak, Alyssa Phillip, Moriah Taylor) have played in every game.

SERIES NOTES vs. GEORGIA SOUTHERN

• Georgia State and Georgia Southern split a pair of games last season, with each team winning on its home court. The Eagles won 77-69 in Statesboro, and then the Panthers answered two days later with a 71-66 victory at the GSU Sports Arena.

• The Panthers and Eagles began playing as Sun Belt Conference foes in 2014-15, and since then, Georgia State holds a 9-5 advantage, including seven straight wins from Feb. 22, 2016 through March 9, 2019.

• The two programs first met Jan. 9, 1978, and have played exactly 50 times. Georgia Southern leads the overall series 27-23, but the Panthers have a 13-12 advantage at the GSU Sports Arena.

• Head coach Gene Hill is 3-3 vs. Georgia Southern.

HITTING THE BOOKS

• Georgia State enjoyed a very strong fall semester in the classroom, compiling a team grade point average of 3.42.

• Thirteen women's basketball student-athletes earned academic honors for the fall with a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher.

• Kamryn Dziak and Hannah Sadler achieved the President's List, Georgia State's highest academic distinction signifying a semester GPA of 4.0 or higher.

• Dean's List (3.5-3.99 GPA): Elexus Bell, Ashley Foster, Ciara Smith, Mikyla Tolivert

• Athletic Director's Honor Roll (3.0-3.49 GPA): Jenae Dublin, Alex Gitchenko, Taylor Henderson, Tehya Lyons, Alyssa Phillip, Moriah Taylor, Taniyah Worth.