STATESBORO, GA-- After coming off a 26-point win at South Alabama, Georgia State travels to Stateboro, Ga. to face in-state rival Georgia Southern on Jan. 24 at 6:00 p.m..
> The Panthers took an early lead and didn't look back in the 73-47 win over South Alabama in game seven of conference play. The win marked the largest margin of victory in a Sun Belt game since the 2016-17 season (42 vs ULM). Deasia Merrill led the Panthers with a season-high 17 points, 11 rebounds and one assist.
> The Panthers rank second in the Sun Belt in blocks (3.5) and are third in the conference in bench points (25.9 ppg), which ranks top 50 in the nation. GSU is fourth in the conference in steals per game (10.8), 3-point percentage (32.5), assists (14.1 pg) and forced turnovers (19.24 per game).
> GSU rallied late in the fourth quarter to take down App State 73-68 in game five of Sun Belt conference play. Alyssa Phillip banked a season-first 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, and Mikyla Tolivert netted the final five points of the game to clinch the win over the Mountaineers.
> The Panthers defeated Texas State 64-55 in game three of conference play. Tolivert led GSU with 18 points, two blocks and two steals, while Crystal Henderson followed with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Panthers' win over the Bobcats broke a three-game losing streak on the series against Texas State.
> GSU opened conference play with an overtime win over Troy on Dec. 31 after Mya Williams hit a buzzer beater to put the Panthers up 90-89. Tolivert hit the tying 3-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation to extend the game into an extra period.
> GSU clinched its first Power Five win since 2008 after defeating Clemson 78-72 on the road on Dec.16.. Mya Williams led the Panthers with a season-high 21 points and three assists. Freshman Crystal Henderson put up a then season-high 20 points and five 3-pointers.
PANTHERS TO WATCH:
> Preseason All-Sun Belt guard Mikyla Tolivert leads GSU in scoring (15.1 ppg) and free throw percentage (.842), which ranks fifth in the Sun Belt. The Melbourne, Fla., native is fourth on the squad in 3-point percentage (.440) and ranks top 10 in the conference for assists per game (3.4). She also ranks sixth in the conference in steals (2.06 pg). Tolivert notched a double-double with a career-high 27 points and 10 rebounds, and sunk a career-high five 3-pointers in the Panthers' conference opener at Troy (Dec. 31).
> Tolivert came within one point of matching her career-high in the Panthers' road contest at Southern Miss (Jan. 18) after netting 26 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. She also went 7-for-7 at the free throw line.
> Tolivert averages 17.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 3.6 assists per game in conference play.
> Freshman point guard Crystal Henderson, who has seen the most time on the court, is the Panthers' second-leading scorer at 11.5 ppg while leading the team in assists (4.2 pg), which ranks sixth in the Sun Belt. The Marietta, Ga., native also ranks in the top ten in the Sun Belt for steals (1.88 pg), and is third in the conference in assist-turnover ratio (+1.87). The freshman leader notched a career-high 24 points and six free throws in the Panthers' win at Troy (Dec. 31).
> Henderson leads all Sun Belt freshmen in scoring and assists. She is ranked fifth nationally among all freshmen in Assists per game.
> Veteran leader Deasia Merrill is the Panthers' second-leading rebounder (6.4 rpg) and ranks third in the Sun Belt for blocks per game (1.33). Merrill is fourth on the Panthers' leaderboard in scoring (8.9 ppg). The 6-1 senior from Villa Rica, Ga., notched her second double-double of the season in the Panthers' latest win over South Alabama after she netted a season-high 17 points, 11 rebounds and one assist. She tallied a career-high five blocks against Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 22. Merrill was second on the team in the 2022-23 season with 13.6 points per game, along with a team-leading 7.2 rebounds. She ranked 11th in the Sun Belt in scoring and 10th in rebounding.
> Junior post player Alyssa Phillip, who has seen the second-most time on the court, leads the Panthers squad in rebounding with 7.2 rpg, which ranks in the top 10 in the Sun Belt for rebounds per game. The veteran forward matched her career-high 13 rebounds in the Panthers' contest against Marshall (Jan.11), which she previously set in the 2022-23 season. She also set a career-high five assists in the Panthers' conference-opening win at Troy (Dec. 31). Phillip averages 3.9 ppg on the season.
> Veteran guard Kamryn Dziak averages 2.9 ppg and 1.1 rpg on the season. The graduate ranks top ten in the program after tallying 111 career 3-pointers. Dziak recorded a career -high four steals in the Panthers' victory against LaGrange (Dec. 19). The Amherst, Ohio native missed the 2022-23 season due to injury after averaging 4.8 points in 2021-22.
> Veteran Christeina Bryan averages 4.5 ppg and 3.2 rpg on the season. The 6-1 forward has started the last 10 contests for GSU, averaging 6.2 ppg over the last 10 games. Bryan notched a career-high nine rebounds at Clemson (Dec. 16). She also tallied a career-high 19 points and two blocks in the Panthers' victory over LaGrange (Dec. 19).
> The Panthers' cast of newcomers includes experienced transfers such as Patience Williams (USF), Mya Williams (Hutchinson C.C.), Erin Turral (Stony Brook), Aniya Palmer (Mississippi State) and Kaleigh Addie (Xavier) as well as promising freshmen like Crystal Henderson (Kell High School), Eghosa Obasuyi (Carrollton) and Aaliyah Hunt (Peachtree Ridge).
SERIES VS.GEORGIA STATE: Georgia State and Sun Belt conference rivals Georgia Southern are meeting for the 31st time in program history. The Panthers are 15-16 on the series after falling 67-61 to the Eagles at home. The Panthers are 7-5 in Statesboro.
> GSU looks to break a four-game losing streak against Georgia Southern. The last time the Panthers defeated the Eagles occurred during the 2022 season.
After traveling to Statesboro, Ga. to face rivals Georgia Southern, the Panthers travel to Old Dominion on Jan. 27 before returning home for a three-game homestead.
