GEORGIA STATE (5-6, 0-0) vs. ARKANSAS STATE (4-8, 0-0)
Saturday, Dec. 30 | 2 p.m. | GSU Convocation Center

TICKETS: GeorgiaStateSports.com/tix
WATCH: ESPN+
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THE TIPOFF: Georgia State opens Sun Belt Conference play by hosting Arkansas State Saturday at 2 p.m. at the GSU Convocation Center.

> In their final pre-Christmas action, the Panthers earned a record-setting 122-45 win over Toccoa Falls on Dec. 19. With seven players scoring in double figures, Georgia State tied the school record for most points in a regulation game and broke the mark for margin of victory.

> Sophomore center Edward Nnamoko recorded career highs with 11 points and 16 rebounds for his first double-double in the win over Toccoa Falls. Toneari Lane (19), Lucas Taylor (17), Malik Ferguson (17) Julian Mackey (13), Rickey Bradley Jr. (11) and Jamaine Mann (10) also scored in double figures.

> Georgia State played seven of its 11 non-conference games on the road.

> Georgia State leads the Sun Belt and ranks No. 13 in Division in free throw percentage at .780. Dwon Odom is the Panthers' top individual at .839 (26-31). In the overtime win at Little Rock, the Panthers went 22-for-22 at the free throw line in the second half and 29-for-34 in the game.

> The Panthers' top three scorers are the transfer trio of Lucas Taylor (14.0), Toneari Lane (12.3) and Jay'Den Turner (10.5).

> Lucas Taylor is the Panthers' leading scorer at 14.0 points per game, which ranks 12th in the Sun Belt. The Wake Forest transfer poured in a career-high 27 points in the 77-70 win at Western Michigan, and he has reached double figures in every game but one.

> Preseason All-Sun Belt guard Dwon Odom, the Panthers' top returning scorer, is averaging 10.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. 

> Odom is second in the Sun Belt in assists and second in assist-to-turnover ratio at +2.6. After pulling down a career-high 10 boards at BYU, he is GSU's second-leading rebounder.

> Odom is the only Sun Belt player who is averaging at least four assists AND five rebounds per game.

> Toneari Lane, the transfer from Winthrop, is third in the Sun Belt with 2.5 3-pointers per game. 

> Lane scored a career-high 23 points in each of the back-to-back wins over Little Rock. He hit nine 3-pointers and 11-of-13 free throws in the two games while averaging 5.0 rebounds.

> Jay'Den Turner leads the Panthers and ranks No. 7 in the Sun Belt with 7.7 rebounds per game, along with 10.5 points per game. Turner scored a season-high 19 points Dec. 4 vs. Middle Georgia State, when he connected on 7-of-9 from the field, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. 

> Turner, the graduate transfer from Queens, scored nine points vs. Toccoa Falls points to reach 1,000 for his career.

> In the overtime win at Little Rock, Turner had 16 points and eight rebounds, including six of GSU's 10 points in overtime. In one sequence, he hit the go-ahead 3-pointer, grabbed a steal, made a layup and then drew a charge. 

> Junior guard Julian Mackey has averaged 9.2 points over the last five games, including 13 points vs. Toccoa Falls and 14 vs. Middle Georgia.

> Senior guard Brenden Tucker, another Preseason All-Sun Belt selection, reached the 1,000-point milestone for his career vs. Middle Georgia State. He averaged 12.9 ppg for the Panthers last season after scoring 569 points in three seasons at Charleston. 

> In the 93-90 overtime win at Little Rock (Nov. 22), the Panthers rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half after trailing 61-44 with 14 minutes to play. That is GSU's largest second-half comeback since overcoming a 22-point second-half deficit to win at Alabama in 2018-19. Toneari Lane, who scored 23 in the game, started the comeback with nine straight points on back-to-back treys and then three free throws.

SERIES NOTES: Georgia State has won five of the last seven against Arkansas State to take a 12-5 lead in the series.

> The teams split a pair of games in 1995-96 and then did not meet again until GSU rejoined the Sun Belt for the 2013-14 season. The Panthers lead 11-4 in the Sun Belt era.

> Last season, Arkansas State won the only meeting, 75-70 in Jonesboro.

> Georgia State leads 5-1 on its homecourt, including all six meetings during the current Sun Belt era. Arkansas State has not played in Atlanta since Feb. 28, 2019, when GSU won 76-60, and the Red Wolves are playing at the new GSU Convocation Center for the first time.