Jan. 7, 2007
The George Mason men's basketball team will take the court on Monday night looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak since the 2004-05 season. The Patriots (6-7, 0-3) will host UNC Wilmington (3-9, 0-3) at the Patriot Center at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN).
Mason fell at home to William & Mary on Wednesday and at Old Dominion on Saturday. That was Mason's first two-game losing streak since November 2005. That also left Mason with its first 0-3 start in Colonial Athletic Association play since the 1994-95 season, when Mason started CAA play 0-6.
The Patriots closed out the 2004-05 season with back-to-back regular-season losses and a defeat in the opening round of the CAA Tournament. That's the last time Mason lost three straight games, and the final one in that stretch was at the hands of the Seahawks. That time, Mason lost the three games by an average of 16.0 points. The Patriots have lost the past two by an average of 3.0 points - a four-point loss to the Tribe and two-point loss to the Monarchs.
Mason continues to lead the CAA in field-goal percentage despite being just 10th in the league in scoring offense. Mason is also second in scoring defense and third in field-goal percentage defense. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are eighth in the CAA in field-goal percentage, 10th in field-goal percentage defense and 11th in scoring defense. The Seahawks have excelled this season in putting points on the board and grabbing rebounds as UNC Wilmington is fourth and first in the conference, respectively.
Vladimir Kuljanin has unquestionably been the best player on UNC Wilmington this season. He leads the team in points, rebounds and field-goal percentage, averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds while shooting .675 from the field. Those numbers are seventh, second and first in the CAA, respectively.
Mason leads the all-time series 30-27 and has won four of the past six regular-season meetings. The Seahawks last won at the Patriot Center on Jan. 10, 2000, a 74-58 UNC Wilmington win.
