Jan. 17, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -

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TIPOFF: Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003, 1 p.m. Seibert Hall; Birmingham, Ala.

AIR: The game can be seen on FOX Sports South, and can be heard on WVSU 91.1-FM and the internet at www.samfordsports.com.

SAMFORD: Samford returns home for only its second home appearance in its last 11 games. The Bulldogs begin an important three-game conference home stand against a Georgia State team that has won four of its last five. Samford is 2-2 at home this season while Georgia State is 1-5 on the road. Jon Mills has started the last three games and has been in double figures twice. Mills is averaging 8.8 ppg in his five starts this season. Tyson Dorsey is chasing Jonathan Pixley's three-point record. Pixley made 84 three pointers during the 1995-96 record. Dorsey is 44-97 (45.4%) from 3-point range this season with 13 games to play. Phillip Ramelli leads Samford averaging 11.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Ramelli is 5th in the A-Sun in FG percentage at 59 percent. The Samford record for best FG percentage is 60.5 percent by Randy Morgan in 1974-75. Head coach Jimmy Tillette is six wins away from becoming the first Samford head coach to reach 100 wins while at Samford.

GEORGIA STATE: The Panthers have won three of four since the retirement of "Lefty" Driesel and have evened their overall record at 7-7. Georgia State is 2-1 in Atlantic Sun play having defeated Gardner-Webb and Campbell at home and falling at Jacksonville State. Nate Williams leads three Panthers who average in double figures at 17.3 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounding at 6.4 rpg. Lamont McIntosh averages 13.4 ppg and Leroy Davis contributes 12.6 ppg. Williams scored 24 points in GSU's 107-71 win over Tennessee State on Monday. The Panthers are second in the A-Sun in 3-pt FG percent as they hit on 38.8 percent of their 3-point shots. They are fourth in the conference in scoring averaging 75.1 points per game.

INSIDE STUFF: Georgia State leads the all-time series 23-20. The Panthers have won four of the last five in the series. The two teams split last year's meetings with each team winning on its home floor. The Bulldogs won 63-59 in Birmingham while GSU won 60-48 in Atlanta. All-time the teams are 10-10 in games played in Birmingham. The series dates back to 1977 when GSU won 85-80 in overtime. There have been five overtime games in the 43 previous meetings.

NEXT: Samford will face in state rival Jacksonville State in a key Atlantic Sun match-up on Monday. Jacksonville State enters the weekend in first place in the A-Sun North. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. in Seibert Hall.