Women's Basketball 1/29/2016 12:48:00 PM Charlie Taylor/Sports Communications

Tough Defense Awaits GSU Saturday at Little Rock

ON THE ROAD: PANTHERS FACE LITTLE ROCK'S DEFENSE
Georgia State (8-10, 3-6) finishes the four-day trip to Arkansas on Saturday with Little Rock. The Trojans have won four of their last six Sun Belt games now after Thursday's win over Georgia Southern. Little Rock allows just 59 points a game.

GSU is pretty much in “survival mode” in mid-season, waiting to get the roster closer to full strength for a February-March push as the Panthers play through the pain.

The storyline for Georgia State has been WHO can play, more so than HOW they're actually playing. Perhaps the key is knowing the depth of the roster will be stronger.

    GSU's roster storyline includes:
   • Have yet to have all 14 players on the roster active at the same time this season and
           only six players have even played in all 18 games, with none starting all 18.
   • Leading scorer and starter Makeba Ponder has missed four of the last eight games
        and won't make this trip to Arkansas to grow that to six of the last 10 games.
   • Second-leading scorer and starter Astaja Tyghter has missed the last two games and
        won't make this trip to Arkansas to grow that to four straight.
   • Starting wing Tatianna Jackson has missed the last 10 games with her injury and
            won't be able to make this trip to Arkansas to grow that to 12 games.
   • Forward Haley Gerrin missed the first four games with multiple injuries and played
           less than 10 minutes in five other games. She got through 19 minutes Thursday at
           Appalachaian State and scored 20 points in that win.
   • Junior Erica Norwood missed the first seven games due to NCAA transfer rules,
        then sprained an ankle on her return to slow her progress. She did not travel.
   • Guard Kierra Henry has missed the last five games with her injury and is still out.
   • GSU starts a pure freshman PG, Madison Newby, who leads the Sun Belt in assists
       (94, 5.2,No. 44 NCAA), but with that comes 88 turnovers as a freshman is prone.

So, with all that shuffling, GSU has 12 players averaging 10 or more minutes played this season, with 13 players getting a start. The points have come from anywhere with 10 players having scored in double figures. It is “the Survival of the Fittest” right now.

The "good news" is that the team posted a road win at Appalachian State and those that are competing have bonded together to develop a good chemistry and play hard.

It is “the Survival of the Fittest” right now for the Panthers as they wait for time to heal, but the confidence level is high and the attitude is a winning one.

WHO'S HOT

• Haley Gerrin scored 20 points in 19 minutes last Thursday at App. State with 6-of-9 FG and 8-of-9 FT. She followed that with 12 points Thursday at ASU with 5-of-10 FG and 2-of-2 FT.

• Morgan Jackson has scored 29 points the last two games (14.5) with 10 of 16 FG (62.5%) and 4-of-7 (57%) 3-pointers. Morgan has missed only one free throw all year (13 of 14, 92.9%). Only miss was on Nov. 28 vs. Howard and made 11 straight now.

• Makeba Ponder has made at least one 3-point basket in 14 consecutive games and 22 of her last 23 games played in. Ponder has scored 96 points in last 6 games she played (16.0 ppg).

• Madison Newby has 76 assists in last 12 games (6.3 per game).

• Kennesha Nichols has made 22 of 38 field goals (58%) with 44 points (6.3) and 32 rebounds (4.5) over last 7 games.

• Madison Newby has scored in double figures in 6 of the last 9 games.

SOME LITTLE ROCK NUMBERS:

Check out some of the Trojans' 2015-16 numbers:

    • Won 4 of last 6 Sun Belt games and are 5-4 in SBC, 4th
   • Lost to LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M; Beat Memphis
   • Have now started 10 players this year, but seven players have logged 325 or more minutes, with six under 100 minutes. Have used 11 different combinations of starting line-ups.
   • Are led by a pair of seniors: forward Shanity James (14 ppg and 7 rpg) and guard Alexis Dawn (11 ppg with 30 3-pointers). Dawn scored 21 and 13 points in the two wins over GSU. James shoots 52.% from the field.
   • Coach Joe Foley has 707 career wins and 251 at Little Rock.
   • Surprisingly, Trojans have been last in the Sun Belt in steals (6.6) and rebounding (33.2) this year.
   • Have struggled with the 3-point basket, making 29.6% this year (74-250) with Dawn hitting just 25% (30 of 118).
   • Ranked near bottom of Sun Belt in free throw shooting, making just 62.7% (168 of 268) with 100 misses.

THIS SERIES

Georgia State won the first game of this new series on Jan. 18, 2014 with a 61-59 win in the GSU Sports Arena. Little Rock won the re-match 64-58 in Little Rock.

Last year, Little Rock stormed to a 75-55 win in Atlanta on Jan. 3, sparked by 21 points from Alexius Dawn as the Trojans shot 58% in the first half and 55% for the game. In Little Rock, the host Trojans produced a 56-39 win, breaking from a 33-31 halftime lead and holding GSU to just eight second-half points. The Trojans forced 23 Georgia State turnovers.

The teams met once before becoming Sun Belt opponents, with Little Rock winning, so the Trojans now lead 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the two Sun Belt seasons.

GSU INFORMATION IN TWITTER SIZE (140 Characters or Less):

• GSU has nine new players this season: two NCAA transfers, three JUCOs and four freshmen.
• Makeba Ponder, who tied the GSU record with 69 3-pointers last year, has made 30 on season
• Coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener is in her 6th year at GSU, her 17th as head coach, with 261 career wins.
• Georgia State opened with three of its four four games on the road, 7 of first 11 and plays 15 road games this season.
• GSU has only two seniors: Morgan Jackson and Ashlee Cole, both good 3-point shooters.
• GSU has played 10 players or more in every game this year.
• Military Brats: Cole born in South Korea, Henry born at Fort Benning, Ga., Draper born in Australia, T. Jackson lived in Japan and Korea, Norwood born in Arlington, Va.
• Alaysia Mitchell's big brother Charles (6-foot-8) is averaging double-double for the season at Ga. Tech. He also wears 0 as did their mom, Harriett, in high school. Charles came to the ULM game (Jan. 14).
• Student-Athletes: Tatianna Jackson is chemistry major with goal of orthapaedic surgeon, Morgan Jackson is biology major with goal of Physician's Assistant.
• Runner-Up is good: Asstaja Tyghter was second-best Miss Florida Basketball (to 6-4 player in Miami). Tyghter had 1,000-point career, 1,000-rebound, 442 steals.
• GSU made 164 3-pointers last year, 2nd school history and Sun Belt season. The Panthers made 5 or more 3-pointers in 10 of 18 games this year
• Georgia State has found 10 Georgia Peaches for its roster as 10 of the 15 played high school ball inside the borders.
• GSU has started 13 different players in the 18 games and only six players have played in all 18 games.