ATLANTA-- After a 10 day break from action, the Panthers travel to Kennesaw State for the I-75 Challenge on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 7:00 p.m.
The Panthers are coming off of a 107-49 win over Sewanee, one of the largest margins of victory in program history (9th in program history).
Georgia State and Kennesaw State are meeting for the 14th time in program history. The Panthers are 10-3 on the series after defeating the Owls 62-52 on Nov. 14, 2023.
STATE IN THE SUN BELT:
> Led by Mikyla Tolivert, who is second in the conference in free throw percentage, The Panthers' overall free throw percentage (72.5) ranks second in the conference.
> Led by Mya Williams, the Panthers rank third in the conference in three-pointers per game (8.2).
> Defensively, Georgia State ranks second in the Sun Belt in blocks (4.0 pg). They also rank fifth in the conference for turnovers forced per game with 18.6.
> The Panthers also rank top 10 in the Sun Belt for steals pg (4th/ 10.0), three-point percentage (4th/ 32.4) and assist/turnover ratio (2nd/ 1.02)
> The Panthers finished the 2023-24 season ranking third in the Sun Belt in blocks per game (3.2) and bench points (23.7), which finished 38 in the nation. The Panthers also finished fourth in the conference in assists per game (13.6) and steals (9.6).
TRACKING THE RECORD:
> Tolivert hit the record book in numerous occasions during the 2023-24 season, ranking third overall in program history for career free-throw percentage (80.7). She entered the single-game records five times last season, twice for single-game points, twice for single game free-throws made and once for single-game assists.
> Transfer Mya Williams totaled 56 three-pointers last season to take the sixth overall spot in program history for single-season three pointers.
CRYSTAL CLEAR: Sophomore leader Crystal Henderson, named to the 2024 preseason All-Sun Belt First Team, is third on the Panthers' leaderboard with 10.3 ppg,. She leads the team in assists (45) and steals (26). Henderson averages 2.6 rpg.
> Henderson's 44.4 three-point percentage is third on the team.
> Henderson is second in the Sun Belt for total assists and assists per-game (45/4.5), and assist/turnover ratio (2.14). She also ranks third in the conference for steals with 26. She has played the most minutes out of all Sun Belt players.
BIG TWO: Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Guard Miklya Tolivert is the Panthers' leading scorer with 13.7 ppg. She leads the conference in total points with 123.
> Her 85.3 free-throw percentage leads the team and is ranked second in the Sun Belt.
> She averages 3.2 rpg, 2.0 assists per-game and 17 steals. She has the second-most steals on the team.
> Senior Mikyla Tolivert joined the Panthers' thousand-point club after scoring her thousandth career point in the Panthers' win over Western Carolina (Nov. 19).
SHARP SHOOTERS:
> Junior guard Kaleigh Addie leads the Panthers in field-goal accuracy, averaging 46.5 percent from the field.
> Addie is second on the Panthers' leaderboard with 11.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 1.1 apg.
> Senior Mya Williams continues to lead the Panthers' squad in three-pointers made through another year, totaling 18 made and averaging 37.5 percent from deep. Her three-point percentage ranks third in the Sun Belt.
> The senior guard is fourth on the Panthers' leaderboard with 9.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg and seven assists.
> After coming off of a redshirt season, sophomore guard Eghosa Obasuyi has quickly made a name for herself on the Panthers' squad.
> Obasuyi averages 3.4 ppg and 0.2 rpg.
> After coming of the bench, Obssuyi put up 20 points and one assist in the Panthers' win over Sewanee (Dec. 8). The sophomore guard set a career-high seven FG made after shooting 70-percent from the field. She also shot 71.4 percent from the three-point line and put up a career-high five three-pointers.
THE BIGS: The Panthers' roster consists of four promising forwards for the 2024 season, including graduate transfers Eden Johnson and Mahogany Matthews, as well as returners Patience Williams and Aaliyah Hunt.
> Graduate transfer Mahogany Matthews leads the team and Sun Belt, and is 32nd in the nation, in blocks with 21. Her 2.1 blocks per-game ranks second in the conference.
> Matthews averages 8.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 11 assists.
> In her second year at Georgia State, Patience Williams leads the Panthers in rebounding, averaging 6.3 rpg. She averages 4.2 ppg and totals eight assists.
> Williams has a perfect free-throw average after going 6-6 at the line.
> Graduate transfer Eden Johnson is the Panthers' second-leading rebounder, averaging 6.3 rpg.
> The veteran forward averages 4.4 ppg and has nine assists on the season.
> Johnson joins the Panthers for the 2024-25 season after spending the last fours seasons at Georgia Southern.
> Last season, Johnson averaged 6.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.13 blocks per game. She finished the season ranking second in the Sun Belt Conference in blocked shots per game and fourth in total blocks (34).
The Panthers open conference play against Southern Miss. on Sunday, Dec. 29 at the Convocation Center.
