STATESBORO – Georgia Southern caps its three-game homestand against Georgia State Friday, Feb. 16, in Hanner Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2, and as a result, will tip off at 9 p.m.
One point will be on the line in the Southern vs. State Rivalry Series, which State leads 8.5-0.5.
It's the second of two scheduled meetings between the Eagles and Panthers this season. State won the first contest 83-66 in Atlanta Jan. 20. Southern's leading scorer and Sun Belt Player of the Year candidate,
Tookie Brown, missed the contest with an injury. Southern is 26-5 against the Panthers at home and have not lost to State in Hanner since 1996.
A ton of activity is set for Friday, including:
White Out - Join us for the annual white out game!
Free fan banners from Coca-Cola (while they last)
Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport "Fly Like a Winner" t-shirt promotion - Stand up and cheer loud for these t-shirt tosses...the fan who catches the shirt marked "WINNER" on the front of a shirt will win two round-trip airline tickets.
Halftime - All-Star basketball teams from the Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Department
Bulloch Madness Canned Food Drive - Help replenish the Statesboro Food Bank following the holiday season by donating canned food items at the game.
NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Trophy Tour - Fans may enjoy and take pictures of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Trophy as it makes its way around the country before heading to San Antonio, Texas for the Final Four and championship game.
Southern is 2-3 in its last five and coming off a 102-91 loss to Louisiana in Hanner Fieldhouse Saturday. The Eagles are tied for third with Texas State and UTA in the Sun Belt standings. The top-4 teams receive a first-round bye in the Sun Belt Tournament March 7-11 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. Nine teams are vying for the third and fourth positions, while Louisiana leads the league and Georgia State is in second.
Georgia State saw its 10-game win streak come to an end Saturday at as the Panthers fell to ULM 90-82 in overtime. Sophomore guard and Sun Belt Player of the Year candidate D'Marcus Simonds has scored in double-figures in 43 straight games and is ranked 18th in the country in scoring. He is coming off a 39-point, 12-rebound performance against ULM, and this will be his first trip to Hanner Fieldhouse. He missed the contest in Statesboro last season because of an injury.
Following Friday's game, the Eagles finish the regular season with two contests in Texas before returning home to face South Alabama March 1 and defending league champion Troy March 3.
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.
