Panthers Host Middle Georgia State Thursday

Concludes Eight-Game Homestand

GEORGIA STATE (4-3) vs. MIDDLE GEORGIA STATE (6-3)
Thursday, Dec. 1 | 7 p.m. | GSU Convocation Center

TV: ESPN+
RADIO: Georgia State Radio Network on WRAS 88.5 FM and the GSU Athletics mobile app.

THE TIPOFF: Georgia State concludes its season-opening, eight-game homestand by hosting Middle Georgia State Thursday at 7 p.m. at the GSU Convocation Center.

> The Panthers (4-3) have played the last three games without starting guards Evan Johnson and Brenden Johnson but managed to win two of the three games.

> Sophomore guard Dwon Odom is the Panthers' leading scorer with 19.1 ppg, second-leading rebounder at 6.4 pg and leader in assists at 3.2 pg. Odom is fifth in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring.

> Sophomore forward Ja'Heim Hudson leads GSU in rebounding (8.1/6th in Sun Belt), field goal percentage (.552) and blocks (9).

> The Panthers are coming off a 68-66 loss to Belmont in which Odom scored 24 points and Jamaine Mann added 17 points and eight rebounds, his highs at GSU.

> NAIA program Middle Georgia is 6-3 following Tuesday's 76-72 loss to Life. The Knights have two wins over Coastal Georgia, which Georgia State defeated 76-59 in the season opener.

OH ODOM!: Leading scorer Dwon Odom has scored 20 or more points in three straight games.

> After scoring 20 against Texas A&M-Commerce, Odom scored a career-high 27 points in the win over UNC Asheville. He played more than 39 minutes and hit 10-of-18 shots from the field and 7-for-7 at the free throw line. He also contributed seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

> He followed with 24 points, along with eight rebounds against Belmont.

> Over the last two games, Odom is averaging 26.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting .556 from the field and .846 from the free throw line.

CLOSE CALLS: Georgia State's three losses have been by a total of five points. The Panthers fell 62-61 to Eastern Kentucky on a half-court, buzzer-beater and 59-57 to Georgia Tech on a basket with four seconds left. In Sunday's 68-66 loss to Belmont, GSU had the ball with a chance to tie the game or take the lead in the final seconds.

CHARITY CASE: Georgia State ranks No. 15 in D-1 in free throw shooting at 79.1 percent.

> The Panthers have been even better over the last four games at .881 (52-for-59).

> Individually, Dwon Odom leads the Sun Belt in free throws made. He is No. 4 in the Sun Belt at 90 percent (36-for-40).

STEPPING IN: With injuries juggling the lineup, two Panthers have stepped in and stepped up.

> Sophomore Danny Stubbs, who played only 18 minutes all of last season, is averaging 5.4 points while playing about 24 minutes a game. He scored a career-high 16 points in the win over UNC Asheville, including 6-of-7 free throws in the final minute to help seal the win, and then added 11 points vs. Belmont.

> Kalik Brooks, the former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship prior to the season, has started three games and is averaging 4.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He averaged 9.3 points in the three-game Capitol Classic, including a career-high 12 points vs. UNC Asheville.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Georgia State is making good use of its new home at the GSU Convocation Center as the Panthers open the season with eight straight home games. Georgia State's first road game is scheduled for Dec. 4 at Northeastern.
> Eight games equals the longest streak of home games in program history, matching an eight-game string in December-January of the 1983-84 season. Since then, the last time the Panthers played even five straight home games was the start of the 2005-06 season.

NEW ERA: First-year head coach Jonas Hayes takes over a Georgia State program that is coming off a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament as the Sun Belt Conference champion and is the winningest program in the conference and the state of Georgia over the last decade.

The Atlanta native grew up just minutes from the Georgia State campus, playing at Douglass High School and then the University of Georgia.

Hayes spent the last four seasons at Xavier, first as assistant coach and then as interim head coach. He was elevated on March 16, 2022 and led the Musketeers to four straight wins, defeating Florida, Vanderbilt and St. Bonaventure before a 73-72 victory over Texas A&M in the NIT championship game at Madison Square Garden.

PRIDE OF THE PEACH STATE: Georgia State is the winningest Division I college basketball team in the state of Georgia since the 2011-12 season.

> Since the start of 2011-12, Georgia State has won 64 percent of its games with a record of 228-128.

> Georgia State's 228 victories are more than Mercer, the next best team in the state with 216 wins and a .571 winning percentage during that time.

> The Panthers also easily outpace Georgia Southern (190), Georgia (180), Georgia Tech (174) and Kennesaw State (86).

> Georgia State has made four NCAA Tournament appearances in the last decade; the other five Division I programs have combined for three NCAA appearances in that time (Georgia-1, Georgia Tech-1, Mercer-1).

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Players Mentioned

#21 Kalik Brooks: G; 6' 5"; Freshman

#15 Ja'Heim Hudson: F; 6' 7"; Sophomore

#0 Evan Johnson: G; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#20 Danny Stubbs: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#1 Dwon Odom: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#2 Jamaine Mann: G; 6' 6"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#21 Kalik Brooks
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: G

#15 Ja'Heim Hudson
: 6' 7"; Sophomore
: F

#0 Evan Johnson
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: G

#20 Danny Stubbs
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G

#1 Dwon Odom
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G

#2 Jamaine Mann
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: G