ATLANTA-- After a 10 day break from action, the Panthers tip off conference play hosting Southern Miss on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 2:00 p.m.
Georgia State and Southern Miss are meeting for the fifth time in program history. The Panthers are looking for their first win over the Golden Eagles.
TOP STORY LINES:
>The Panthers defeated Sewanee 107-49 to mark one of the largest margins of victory in program history (9th in program history).
> Georgia State opened the season with three Power 5 opponents, including Georgia Tech, Georgia and Alabama. Its season was highlighted by a 66-60 upset over Georgia.
STATE IN THE SUN BELT:
> Led by Mikyla Tolivert, who is second on the Sun Belt for free throw percentage, The Panthers lead the conference in overall free throw percentage (74.0).
> Led by Mya Williams, the Panthers rank fourth in the conference in three-pointers per game (7.5).
> Defensively, Georgia State ranks second in the Sun Belt in blocks (4.2 pg). They also rank fifth in the conference for turnovers forced per game with 18.45.
> The Panthers also rank top 10 in the Sun Belt for steals pg (4th/ 9.8), three-point percentage (6th/ 32.4) and assist/turnover ratio (3rd/ 0.94)
> 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 10.4 ppg,. She leads the team in assists (47) and steals (28). Henderson averages 2.6 rpg.
> Henderson is second on the team in three-point percentage (44.8) after going 13-29 from deep.
> Henderson is second in the Sun Belt for total assists and assists per-game (47/4.3), and assist/turnover ratio (2.14). She also ranks third in the conference for steals and steals per game (28/2.55). She has played the most minutes out of all Sun Belt players.
> The sophomore leader was the key factor in the Panthers win over Georgia (Nov. 14), leading to week two Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. Henderson put up big numbers against the Dawgs, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. She went 5-7 at the three-point line, contributing to 41.6 percent of the Panthers threes in the contest. She also had a perfect night at the free-throw line and contributed 55.5 percent of the Panthers assists, including an assist for three to solidify the game.
BIG TWO: Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Guard Miklya Tolivert is the Panthers' leading scorer with 13.8 ppg.
> Her 82.1 free-throw percentage leads the team and is ranked second in the Sun Belt.
> Tolivert averages 3.6 rpg, 2.0 assists per-game and 18 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 45.7 percent from the field.
> Addie is second on the Panthers' leaderboard with 10.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 1.0 apg.
> Senior Mya Williams continues to lead the Panthers' squad in three-pointers made through another year, totaling 18 made and averaging 36.0 percent from deep.
> The senior guard is fourth on the Panthers' leaderboard with 9.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg and seven assists.
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 17th in the nation, for blocks with 27. Her 2.45 blocks per-game also leads th conference and ranks 14th in the nation.
> Matthews averages 8.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 12 assists.
> In her second year at Georgia State, Patience Williams leads the Panthers in rebounding, averaging 6.5 rpg. She averages 4.2 ppg and totals nine assists.
> Williams has a perfect free-throw average after going 8-8 at the line.
> Graduate transfer Eden Johnson is the Panthers' second-leading rebounder, averaging 5.1 rpg.
> The veteran forward averages 4.1 ppg and has nine assists on the season.
The Panthers head to Texas State Thursday, Jan. 2 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
