NORFOLK, Va. (Interstat) — Two Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball teams seeking to halt slides will meet Saturday when Old Dominion hosts Georgia State at the Constant Convocation Center. The Monarchs (8-18) and Panthers (9-17) enter the Valentine’s Day matchup on nearly identical trajectories, each having lost four of their last five games. Old Dominion is coming off a narrow 81-79 home loss to Marshall on Wednesday, while Georgia State fell 81-79 in overtime at James Madison on Thursday. The game will feature a duel between two of the league’s top guards. Georgia State’s Jelani Hamilton is averaging 20.4 points over his last five games, including a 28-point effort in the overtime loss to James Madison. He scored a season-high 38 points in a win over Arkansas State on Jan. 24. Old Dominion will counter with LJ Thomas, who is coming off an 18-point, five-assist performance against Marshall. Thomas has been a steady facilitator, recording five or more assists in three of his last seven contests. Both teams have struggled to find consistency this season. The Panthers’ recent skid includes three losses by three points or fewer. The Monarchs have shown flashes, including a win over Ohio on Feb. 7, but have been unable to string together consecutive victories since early January. Defensive intensity will be a key factor. Georgia State allows 75.2 points per game, while Old Dominion surrenders 77.1. Whichever team can generate stops and control the tempo may find an edge in a matchup of closely matched squads. This is the first of two scheduled meetings between the programs this month. They are slated to play again at Georgia State on Feb. 27. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST Saturday in Norfolk.