Men’s Basketball Preview: Eagles Host Savannah State Saturday

Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse

Georgia Southern (6-2) vs. Savannah State (3-7)
Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017 - Hanner Fieldhouse (3,897) – 5 p.m.
Series: GS leads 12-1, W1
Last Meeting: 12/1/16, W 94-75 (away)
Audio: GS Sports Network (pregame show starts a half hour before tipoff) - WMCD 107.3 FM (Statesboro), 630 AM WBMQ (Savannah), 1370 AM WLOP (Jesup)
Promotions: Hanner for the Holidays - enjoy classic holiday fun with Christmas music, free candy canes and pictures with Santa Claus! Plus, a special big stocking giveaway for kids, an Ugly Sweater Contest and a fun Gift Giveaway halftime game. Also, Toys for Tots - Fans can donate a new toy to the Toys for Tots foundation.

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Georgia Southern	Savannah State
Roster	Roster
Stats	Stats
Schedule	Schedule

Probable GS Starters:
#0 Montae Glenn
#2 Mike Hughes
#3 Ike Smith
#4 Tookie Brown
#10 Jake Allsmiller

Setting the Scene
• Georgia Southern caps a two-game homestand by playing host to Savannah State Saturday at 5 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse. It's the Tigers first visit to Hanner since Jan. 19, 2005, a 79-53 Eagle win.
• Promotions: Hanner for the Holidays - enjoy classic holiday fun with Christmas music, free candy canes and pictures with Santa Claus! Plus, a special big stocking giveaway for kids, an Ugly Sweater Contest and a fun Gift Giveaway halftime game. Also, Toys for Tots - Fans can donate a new toy to the Toys for Tots foundation.
• Georgia Southern is 36-9 in Hanner Fieldhouse in its last 45 contests there and 43-15 under Mark Byington.
• The Eagles are playing just their second game in 14 days after playing four in six days during Thanksgiving week.
• GS is 3-2 in its last five and coming off a 97-61 home win over Tennessee Wesleyan last Saturday.
• As of Dec. 4, the Eagles are ranked 17th in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major top-25. Gonzaga is ranked first, UTA is ranked second, Louisiana is 11th, Georgia State is 22nd, Towson is 14th and Missouri State is 15th.
• Through games Dec. 5, Georgia Southern's NCAA RPI is 37, the highest of any team in the Sun Belt. The Eagles' strength of schedule ranks 56th.
• Savannah State is 2-3 in its last five and coming off a 108-85 home loss to William & Mary last Saturday.
• SSU leads the nation in 3-pointers attempted with 319 this season. The Tigers are in the top 15-nationally in total 3-pointers made (4th) with 90, free throws attempted (14th) with 201 and total steals (6th) with 78.

The Series vs. Savannah State
• Georgia Southern leads the all-time series against the Tigers 12-1.
• The series was renewed in 2015-16 in Tiger Arena after a 10-year hiatus.
• The Eagles are 7-0 against Savannah State in Hanner Fieldhouse, and the teams have not played in the venue since Jan. 19, 2005.
• The series began in 1986, and the teams played twice a season from 2001-05.
• Last Meeting - 12/1/2016 - Tiger Arena: Ike Smith tallied a career-high 29 points and five rebounds, and Georgia Southern used a decisive 15-4 run in the second half to take control of the game and top Savannah State 94-75 in Tiger Arena.
• Tookie Brown finished with 20 points and seven assists for Georgia Southern, and Mike Hughes collected 14 points, five rebounds and two steals. Montae Glenn added eight points and five rebounds, and Shawn O'Connell chipped in eight points and seven boards.
• Austin Dasent collected 18 points and eight rebounds for Savannah State, and Joshua Floyd netted 13 points. Troyce Manassa scored 11.
• The Eagles trailed 60-57 with 12 minutes to go in the game but used a 15-4 run, ignited by a Coye Simmons putback, to take control of the game. Smith hit two jumpers, while Brown and Hughes canned 3-pointers during the stretch.

Team Storylines
• Five of GS's eight games have been decided by five points or less, and four have been one-possession games. GS started 5-0 for the first time since the 1991-92 season.
• Georgia Southern returned the Sun Belt's top two scorers in juniors Ike Smith (19.6 ppg) and Tookie Brown (17.1 ppg). The 2017 first-team All-Sun Belt selections are the fourth-highest scoring returning duo in the country. They were the third-highest freshman scoring duo in the country in 2015-16 (1-Rice's Marcus Evans and Marquez Letcher-Ellis, 2- FSU's Dwayne Bacon and Malik Beasley).
• Georgia Southern's top-3 seasons in 3-pointers made and attempted have all come during Mark Byington's tenure. GS ranked first in the SBC in threes per game (9.2) and 31st in the country last season, and the Eagles made 10 or more threes in a game 15 times. GS's .362 percentage from long distance was the eighth-highest in school history. GS made 11 triples in the opener at Wake Forest, 13 vs. Bluefield State, 10 against Missouri State and 11 vs. Tennessee Wesleyan.
• Mark Byington is coaching in his 149th career game today and his 138th at Georgia Southern. His 51 wins in his first three seasons at Georgia Southern were the best of any coach in the modern era. He posted a 7-4 record at College of Charleston in 2012, filling in as the interim coach for Bobby Cremins.
• Under Mark Byington, Georgia Southern is 53-11 in games when leading at half and 62-6 when leading with five minutes to go.
• The Eagles' 85-83 victory at Wake Forest was their first over an ACC opponent since topping Virginia Tech 83-78 on the road in 2012. Byington was an assistant coach for the Hokies at the time.
• Georgia Southern's 120 points against Bluefield State were the most in a game since 1974.
• GS is averaging 81.9 points a game, the most since the 1991-92 season. The Eagles have scored over 80 points three times, over 90 twice and over 100 once.
• Georgia Southern ranks first in the SBC in fewest turnovers, second in turnover margin and third in turnovers forced.
• GS ranks second in the SBC in free throws made and third in free throws attempted.
• GS ranks fifth in the country in offensive rebounding and ranks third in the SBC in total rebounding.
• Georgia Southern's NCAA RPI of 122 in 2017 was the second-highest in the last 27 seasons (111 in 2015).
• Georgia Southern made its seventh postseason appearance in the Division I era and first since 2006, as the Eagles played in the College Basketball Invitational last year.
• GS joins UTA and Louisiana as the only three teams to reach double digit wins in conference play in each of the last three seasons and has the third most league victories (36) during that time.

Stat Stuffers
• Mike Hughes is on track to become the first player in Georgia Southern men's basketball history to tally 1,200 career points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals. The senior needs 105 points, 48 rebounds and 23 assists.
• Jelani Hewitt (2010-15) collected 1,810 points, 499 rebounds, 340 assists and 252 steals, and Eric Ferguson (2010-15) finished with 1,482 points, 727 rebounds, 116 assists and 157 steals.
• Tookie Brown is 21 assists from becoming just the fourth Eagle to reach 300 assists in his junior season, joining C.Y. Young (1989-93), Dwayne Foreman (2004-08) and Terry Williams (2001-05).
• Brown is 263 points and 21 assists away from becoming the first Eagle to post 1,500 points and 300 assists.

Next Up
• Georgia Southern will play its next six contests on the road. The stretch starts with a four-game road trip that will encompass 14 days, seven cities and 6,057 miles. The Eagles play at George Mason (Dec. 12), CSU Bakersfield (Dec. 16), Kennesaw State (Dec. 19) and ETSU (Dec. 22) during the stretch.
• Following that road trip, GS opens Sun Belt play on the road at defending league champion Troy.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides current information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, which is fully responsive across all mobile devices. Information on Eagle athletics can also be found through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics and Instagram.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, visit GSEagles.com/tickets.

In order to expedite entry and provide a safe environment for all patrons and participants, Georgia Southern Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed sporting events, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Fans can find the complete policy as well as an FAQ section at GSEagles.com/ClearBag.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Eric Ferguson: F; 6' 8"; Redshirt Senior

#5 Jelani Hewitt: G; 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior

#10 Jake Allsmiller: G; 6' 5"; Freshman

#2 Mike Hughes: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

#11 Shawn O'Connell: F; 6' 8"; Freshman

#14 Coye Simmons: F; 6' 8"; Freshman

#3 Ike Smith: G; 6' 4"; Sophomore

#4 Tookie Brown: G; 5' 11"; Junior

#0 Montae Glenn: F; 6' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#3 Eric Ferguson
: 6' 8"; Redshirt Senior
: F

#5 Jelani Hewitt
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#10 Jake Allsmiller
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: G

#2 Mike Hughes
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

#11 Shawn O'Connell
: 6' 8"; Freshman
: F

#14 Coye Simmons
: 6' 8"; Freshman
: F

#3 Ike Smith
: 6' 4"; Sophomore
: G

#4 Tookie Brown
: 5' 11"; Junior
: G

#0 Montae Glenn
: 6' 8"; Junior
: F

Georgia Southern University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned