Oct. 20, 2009

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's basketball team will play four games in its upcoming 2009-10 season before television cameras, as the Patriots' composite schedule was released Tuesday in conjunction with the Colonial Athletic Association's annual basketball Media Day in Washington, D.C.

All four of the Patriots' TV games will come during the conference portion of its schedule, with home games against Hofstra (Feb. 4), Old Dominion (Feb. 14), VCU (Feb. 21) and James Madison (March 3) to be broadcast.

The Feb. 4 matchup against the Pride will be shown on Verizon's FiOS1 channel, with tip time scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center. This is the fourth season that Verizon FiOS has been a partner of Mason athletics, and the first time Patriots women's basketball will be showcased on the network. It is the first of a home-and-home matchup that Mason has against Hofstra this season.

On Feb. 14 at 2 p.m., Mason will host rival Old Dominion at Patriot Center before a regional television audience on Comcast SportsNet. Last season's matchup in Fairfax resulted in a signature victory for the Patriots, as the 63-52 win by Mason was its first victory over the Lady Monarchs, ending a 44-game winless streak. During the game, Mason will participate in the WBCA's PinkZone Day.

Mason will face VCU on FiOS1 in a game scheduled for 1 p.m. at home on Feb. 21. The Patriots will be looking to avenge a 67-43 defeat in Richmond last season. Finally, Mason will close out the regular season at home against James Madison on March 3, with FiOS1 set to televise the action beginning at 7 p.m.

George Mason will seek to improve on last season's results with six newcomers taking the court for the first time, including redshirt juniors Ashleigh Braxton and Angelee LaTouche who sat out the 2008-09 season. The group represents the first recruiting class for Porter at the helm of the Patriots, who were selected to finish 12th in the conference's preseason poll.