Preview: Georgia State Panthers at South Alabama Jaguars

MOBILE, Ala. (Interstat) — A pair of Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball teams looking to build momentum will meet Thursday when the South Alabama Jaguars host the Georgia State Panthers at the Mitchell Center.

The Jaguars (9-8 overall) enter the contest after a narrow 63-59 road loss at Coastal Carolina last Saturday. South Alabama has shown resilience, responding to a 107-67 home loss to Arkansas State on Jan. 8 with a solid 81-56 victory at Louisiana-Lafayette in its next outing. Guard Tamara Ortiz has been a consistent contributor, averaging 10.5 points over her last six games, including a 14-point performance in the loss to Coastal Carolina.

The visiting Panthers (8-11) are coming off one of their best performances of the season, a decisive 79-57 home win over Appalachian State this past Saturday. That victory snapped a two-game skid. Georgia State’s offense runs through dynamic guard Crystal Henderson, who is in the midst of a stellar stretch. She poured in a season-high 27 points in the win over Appalachian State and has scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games, averaging 17.9 points over her last seven contests.

The matchup pits South Alabama’s pursuit of consistency against a Georgia State squad riding the hot hand of Henderson. The Jaguars will aim to protect their home court, where they are 6-3 this season, while the Panthers seek their first true road victory since Dec. 20.

This game is the only scheduled meeting between the two programs this regular season. Following Thursday’s contest, South Alabama will remain at home to face Georgia Southern on Saturday. Georgia State continues its road trip with a game at Troy on Saturday.

Tip-off is set for Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, at the Mitchell Center in Mobile.