Jan. 28, 2009

The George Mason women's basketball team returns home to face UNC Wilmington, as the Patriots are seeking to close out the month of January with their first conference win. Mason and the Seahawks will do battle at 7 p.m. Thursday night at Patriot Center.

UNC Wilmington is 9-9 and 3-4 in the CAA play heading into Thursday's game. The Seahawks have won two games in a row, including a 73-60 victory over VCU on Sunday afternoon. They are led by Brittany Blackwell, the reigning CAA Rookie of the Year who powers the offense with 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.

Mason leads the all-time series, 32-21, but UNCW has taken wins in each of the last seven matchups.

Last time they met, senior Lateisha Wade connected on all five attempts from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 23-point outing, but the Seahawks broke open a tight contest in the second half to earn a 69-55 victory on Feb. 17, 2008 in Fairfax. Wade was the lone Patriot to score in double figures, while Brittany Blackwell led the Seahawks with 22 points. She was joined in double digits by Sahsha Taylor and Candace Walker, who chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Sophomore Brittany Poindexter has established herself as one of the Patriots' most potent offensive weapons this season. She has led the team in scoring the past five games, recorded nine double-figure games this year, including back-to-back 19-point outings last week. The Kensington, Md., native leads the team, averaging 9.8 points per game.