What You Need to Know:
* Following a five-game home-stand, Georgia State will return to the road and face Appalachian State on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Holmes Convocation Center.
* Georgia State stands 12-4 and 5-2 in the Sun Belt, just a half-game out of first-place entering Thursday night.
* Last time out, Georgia State earned a 69-66 overtime win over in-state rival Georgia Southern as senior T.J. Shipes finished with a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds.
ATLANTA-Following a five-game home-stand, Georgia State will return to the road and face Appalachian State on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Holmes Convocation Center.
Georgia State is off to a 12-4 start and is 5-2 in the Sun Belt, just a half-game out of first place after winning each of the last two regular season titles. The 12-4 mark is the second-best 16-game start in program history and only trails a 14-2 start during the 2000-01 season that led to an NCAA tournament appearance.
Thursday’s contest can be heard live on 1340 The Fan 3 and WRAS-FM 88.5 with Dave Cohen, now in his 33rd year as the Voice of the Panthers, being joined by 680 The Fan’s Brandon Leak. Live statistics and live audio will be available at GeorgiaStateSports.com and on most mobile devices.
Georgia State is coming off a 69-66 overtime win over in-state rival Georgia Southern on Tuesday before a capacity crowd in the GSU Sports Arena. Senior T.J. Shipes led the Panthers with a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds as all five starters scored in double figures.
The Panthers improved to 37-8 mark in conference games since their return to the Sun Belt. Georgia State is 59-17 in their last 76 games dating back to Dec. 14, 2013 and has won 18-of-23 games dating back to last season.
“After the tough loss we had on Saturday, I learned a lot about my team on Tuesday night,” head coach Ron Hunter said. “This group has character and that is an important trait in championship teams. We faced some adversity against Georgia Southern, but used what they learned Saturday to our advantage and we made a great second half run. Hopefully we can keep that momentum going into Thursday night.”
Hunter, in his fifth year with the Panthers, has won 99 games and could eclipse Bob Reinhart’s school-record of 107 career wins by the end of the year. With a win on Thursday, he would become just the third coach in program history to win 100 games. Hunter owns three of the six single-season best win totals in school history.
Georgia State has built its winning this year with defense. The Panthers are allowing opponents to score just 62.0 points per game, third in the Sun Belt and No. 14 in the country. Teams are shooting just 39.4 percent from the floor and 29.6 percent from 3-point range against the Panthers this year.
On the other end, Georgia State has turned the ball over just 185 times, 21st-fewest in the country, while forcing 216.
The Panthers are led by Jeremy Hollowell who is averaging 15.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and senior Kevin Ware, scoring 13.2 points and adding 4.1 rebounds per contest. Hollowell just missed a double-double on Tuesday night, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds in the win.
Senior Markus Crider played in his 115th career game on Tuesday to move into ninth on the all-time Georgia State list. He is averaging 8.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and earned his first double digit rebound performance of the year (10) last Thursday vs. UL Monroe.
Redshirt-sophomore Isaiah Williams was inserted into the starting line-up nine games ago and has also stepped up, now averaging 8.6 points and just under three assists per game.
Appalachian State (4-13, 2-4 Sun Belt) is led by all-conference performer Frank Eaves who is averaging 20.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.7 percent from 3-point range. After a rough start to Sun Belt play, the Mountaineers have won two of their last three games, including an impressive 86-72 win at Arkansas State on Saturday.
Following Thursday’s game, Georgia State will have a rare Saturday off before traveling to Arkansas next week. The two-game trip will start at Arkansas State on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Quick Notes
• Georgia State begins a three-game road trip going to Boone, N.C., to face Appalachian State.
• Georgia State split the season series with the Mountaineers last year with each team winning on its home court.
• Georgia State’s 12-4 start is the second-best start in program history and only behind a 14-2 start during the 2000-01 season.
• At 5-2 in the Sun Belt, the Panthers enter play just one-half game out of first place in the league.
• Last time out, Georgia State earned a 69-66 overtime victory over in-state rival Georgia Southern, its third-straight win over the Eagles.
• Since returning to the league, GSU is 37-8 in Sun Belt regular season games, going 17-1 (2013-14), 15-5 (2014-15) and 5-2 (2015-16).
• Georgia State’s 7-2 non-conference record is the third-best in program history.
• Defensively, GSU is giving up just 62.0 points per game, No. 14 in the NCAA.
• GSU turned the ball over only 185 times this season, No. 21 in the NCAA.
• Georgia State was one of just 20 programs in the country to have won 25 or more games in each of the last two seasons.
• Georgia State is 59-17 (.776) since Dec. 14, 2013.
• Georgia State currently stands No. 108 in the NCAA RPI. Georgia Southern is No. 271.
• Georgia State, the two-time defending Sun Belt champions, was selected to finish second this year in the conference preseason poll.
• Markus Crider and T.J. Shipes have been a part of 77 wins, just 11 shy of the school-record set just last year by Ryann Green.
