Men's Basketball | 2/3/2016 8:38:00 PM

ATLANTA, Ga. – The longest road trip of the season, four games, for the Texas State men's basketball team ends this week. First up for the Bobcats is the defending Sun Belt Conference champions Georgia State on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT in the GSU Sports Arena.
 
Entering the game, Texas State is 9-9 overall and 3-6 in conference play while the Panthers are 12-7 on the year and 5-5 in the SBC.
 
The contest will be streamed on ESPN3 with Sam Crenshaw and Jihad Ali, a former GSU player, calling the action.
 
In the first meeting this season, the Panthers came out on top 58-46. Kavin Gilder-Tilbury led the Bobcats with 15 points and eight rebounds. The offense for Texas State was stymied after Ethan Montalvo went down with an injury four minutes into the game.
 
Both Emani Gant and Gilder-Tilbury enter averaging 12.9 points per game with Gilder-Tilbury reaching double figures in points the past 10 games in-a-row. Gant heads into the game leading the team with a 49.7 field goal percentage and 7.1 rebounds per contest.
 
Also with a double-digit point average is Montalvo at 10.4 He is the Bobcats' top long distance threat having made 34 three-pointers and with a team best 39.1 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
 
In the past three games, Ojai Black has dished out 14 assists while committing only two turnovers. He has increased his assists per game average to 3.1 for the season. The senior guard has recorded a team-high 25 steals and adds 6.9 ppg.
 
Pacing the Panthers offensively is Jeremy Hollowell at 14.6 ppg, followed by 13.3 ppg from Kevin Ware. Ware enters the game with a team-high 2.7 apg.
 
Markus Crider is making a team-high 50.8 percent of his shots and both he and Isaiah Williams are averaging 8.2 points per contest. Freshman guard Isaiah Thomas has made a team best 27 treys but has made only 10 in conference play.
 
When playing at home GSU is 9-1 this season with their lone loss coming on Jan. 16 against UL Lafayette. Seven of its wins have been against Division I opponents, of which, just two have been by more than more than six points.
 
The game will be broadcast over the air waves on 1300 The Zone (1300 AM) and 89.9 FM with Brant Freeman on the call. Live stats, audio and video will be available with links on the Bobcats men's basketball schedule page at www.txstatebobcats.com, the official website of Texas State Athletics.