Women's Basketball | 2/21/2016 4:07:00 PM

Georgia Southern (7-18, 4-12) vs. Georgia State (9-16, 4-12)
Monday, Feb. 22 – Hanner Fieldhouse (4,325) – 7:00 p.m.

Live Video (ESPN3) | Live Stats | Live Audio | Tickets | Upcoming Promotions | Gameday Guide: Basketball

Radio: 91.9 FM the Buzz

Promotions: Whiteout – Wear white to the game! Free white out t-shirts will be handed out to students (while supplies last); Free pizza for students while supplies last; Fans will be able to enjoy music from DJ Nino and as always, the loud and proud Hoop Troop; More for Your Money Monday - all fans can take adavantage of $2 general admission tickets.


Last Meeting: 1/19/16 - W, 61-50 (Atlanta, Ga.)
Overall: Southern leads, 24-15
In Statesboro: Southern leads, 10-6
In Atlanta: Southern leads, 12-9
Neutral Sites: Southern leads, 2-0
Current Streak: Southern - W2

Probable Starters for Georgia Southern (Based on previous games):
#2 Trellanie English-Lurry, G
#11 Angel McGowan, G
#23 Alexis Sams, G
#25 Sierra Butler, F
#35 Patrice Butler, C


Georgia Southern Information:
[Roster] [Schedule] [Season Stats] [@GSAthletics_WBB] [Game Notes (PDF)]

Georgia State Information:
[Roster] [Schedule] [Season Stats] [@GSUPanthers]



TRUE BLUE WEEK - FEB. 18-29 (Click the link for more information)
• When you are True Blue, why only celebrate once a year? So while the traditional True Blue Week that takes place before the first home football game in the fall is great, the Georgia Southern Athletics Department is taking a busy week and turning it into a celebration of Eagle Athletics. With 19 home events featuring six sports taking place over an 11-day span in late February, True Blue Week is back and loaded with great stuff.
 
TRUE BLUE WEEK - FEB. 18-29
• When you are True Blue, why only celebrate once a year? So while the traditional True Blue Week that takes place before the first home football game in the fall is great, the Georgia Southern Athletics Department is taking a busy week and turning it into a celebration of Eagle Athletics. With 19 home events featuring six sports taking place over an 11-day span in late February, True Blue Week is back and loaded with great stuff.
 
SOUTHERN VS. STATE RIVALRY SERIES
• One point will be on the line in the Southern vs. State Rivalry Series, and the Eagles trail 6-3. Georgia Southern picked up a point by winning the first game against the Panthers this season 61-50 Jan. 19 in Atlanta. It will be the 41st meeting between the in-state rivals, and the Eagles have won the last two over Georgia State but the two are tied 2-2 in the last four meetings dating back to the 2012-13 season.
 
HOME PROMOTIONS
• Whiteout – Wear white to the game!  
• Free white out t-shirts will be handed out to students (while supplies last)
• Free pizza for students while supplies last
• Fans will be able to enjoy music from DJ Nino and as always, the loud and proud Hoop Troop
• More for Your Money Monday - all fans can take advantage of $2 general admission tickets
 
INSIDE THE CONFERENCE STANDINGS
• With two weeks left in the regular season, the last seven teams in the conference standings are still in heavy competition for the final four spots in the Sun Belt Conference tournament as the top four teams in the conference standings have all clinched berths into the league tournament.
• The top eight spots in the standings are important because only the top eight teams in the final conference standings go to the conference tournament held in New Orleans, La. in March.
 • Arkansas State, Little Rock, UL Lafayette and South Alabama are the top four teams in the conference but below them a lot of things can still happen.
• UT Arlington (8-7) is now fifth in the standings with Troy (8-8) just behind in sixth as both won their most recent games.
• Texas State is currently seventh with a 7-8 conference record after dropping their game on Saturday and Appalachian State is in the eighth and final spot with a 5-11 mark despite dropping their last four games.
• Georgia Southern and Georgia State enter the week tied for ninth with identical 4-12 league marks and UL Monroe remains 11th with a 3-13 SBC mark.
 
WITHIN THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE
• Heading into Monday's rivalry showdown with Georgia State, Southern is in the top-seven of the conference in seven different categories. The Eagles are fourth with 6.0 three-point field goals made per game and fifth with a .397 team field goal percentage.
• Southern is also sixth in the SBC in three-point field goal percentage defense (.313) and defensive rebounds (24.2 per game). The Eagles are also seventh in scoring defense (62.0 point allowed per game), team free throw percentage (.679) and team three-point field goal percentage (.293).
• Juniors Angel McGowan and Patrice Butler are currently seventh and ninth in the conference in scoring. McGowan leads the team and is seventh in the league with 14.6 points per game while Butler averages 12.4.
• McGowan is also fifth in the conference in three-pointers made (2.0 per game), sixth in steals (2.0 per game), ninth in the league in free throw percentage (.723) and 14th in three-point percentage (.327).
• Butler is sixth in the Sun Belt with a .750 free throw percentage, 11th in the league in field goal percentage (.458), 13th in rebounding (5.4 per game) and 14th with 3.7 defensive rebounds per game.
• Sophomore Sierra Butler is 14th in the conference in overall rebounding (5.4 per game) and is tied for 13th in the conference in offensive boards with 2.2 per outing.
 
QUICK HITTERS
• In last Thursday's game at Troy, Sierra Butler corralled in a game-high 14 rebounds. It was the most rebounds secured by an Eagle player since Briana Jones brought down 14 at home against Furman on Dec. 7, 2013.
• Junior Patrice Butler is in the midst of a five-game streak where she has scored in double-figures. She has also accomplished the feat in six of the last seven games.
• In Saturday's game against Little Rock, Senior Briana Jones had one block, giving her 80 for her career. Her 80 swatted shots now has moved Jones into sole possession of third all-time in blocked shots in Georgia Southern history.
• Senior Sierra Kirkland's 116 games played for the Blue and White has her tied for eighth in program history for most games played. When she next takes the court for her 117th game, it will move her up into a tie for sixth with two other former Eagles.
• Kirkland's 532 career rebounds has her currently 19th in program history for the category. The next mark for her to reach will be 17th held by Tondra Warren (1996-2000) and Tarsha Askew (1993-97) with 536 career rebounds.
• Kirkland also has 35 career blocks which has her 17th at the moment.
• Junior Angel McGowan currently has 137 steals and has tied 19th held by Ashley Rivens (2005-09). The next closest mark will be a tie for 17th held by Rosie Arnold (1995-99) and Gwenda Smith (1991-93) who both finished their careers with 138 steals.
 
THE HISTORY WITH GEORGIA STATE
• When Georgia Southern and Georgia State meet on ESPN3 on Monday, it will be the 40th meeting between the two programs with Southern owning a 24-15 all-time record over the rivals from Atlanta.
• Southern won the previous two meetings between the two. The Eagles won 82-74 in Atlanta in last season's season finale (3/7/2015) and the first meeting this season, 61-50 (1/19/16).
• The Eagles boast a 10-6 record in Statesboro despite the Panthers winning the last meeting 82-54 on Feb. 5, 2015. In fact, the Panthers have won the last three games in Statesboro with Southern's last win in Statesboro over the Panthers coming on Jan. 15, 1990 (75-60 under Drema Greer). Not a single player from Georgia Southern was born at the time as seniors Briana Jones and Sierra Kirkland were both born in 1993.
• Between the 1977-78 season and the 1994-95 seasons the Eagles and Panthers met 34 times. Following a Dec. 13, 1994 meeting won in Atlanta by Georgia Southern, the two did not meet again until the 1998-99 season. The two would not meet again until the 2012-13 season with another gap until last season, 2014-15.
• Georgia Southern boasts the longest winning streak in the series as the Eagles claimed eight-straight from March 6, 1987 through January 10, 1991.
• State's longest streak in the series has been two separate streaks of three wins each. The first went from February 9, 1991 to February 6, 1992 and the second lasted from December 5, 1998 to February 5, 2015.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
• The Panthers (9-16, 4-12) enter the week in the top-five of the conference in four different statistical categories including third in steals (9.2 per game) and offensive rebounds (14.4 per game).
• State is also fourth in scoring average (64.0 points per game) and fifth in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.312).
• On the other hand, State is in the bottom two of the Sun Belt in three categories including 10th in scoring defense (allowing 71.5 points per contest) and 11th in free throw percentage (.628) and three-point field goal percentage (.253).
• Georgia State is led by three players in the top-30 of the conference in scoring highlighted by Makeba Ponder's 11.5 points per outing which has her 13th in the Sun Belt. A sophomore, Ponder is also second in the league with 2.1 treys per game and 12th with 1.7 steals per outing.
• Behind Ponder is a duo of freshmen made up by Madison Newby and Astaja Tyghter. Newby is 28th in the league with 8.8 points per game and Tyghter is 29th with 8.7.
• Newby leads the conference with 5.2 assists per game and is 13th with 1.7 steals per game.
• Tyghter is ninth in the league with 1.9 steals per game and is also 12th in defensive rebounds (3.8 per game) and field goal percentage (.458) and she is also 20th in total rebounds per game (4.9 per game).
 
NEXT UP
• Following Monday's rivalry game against Georgia State, the Eagles will have one final home game this season. Georgia Southern will welcome Appalachian State to Statesboro on Thursday, Feb. 24 for a 5:00 p.m. game.


Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. For tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, visit GSEagles.com/tickets.