Nov. 18, 2009
After a tough test at Richmond to begin the road portion of its 2009-10 schedule, the George Mason women's basketball team continues its trip through Virginia as it travels to Blacksburg to face the Virginia Tech Hokies on Thursday night. Tip time from Cassell Coliseum is set for 7 p.m.
Mason comes to Blacksburg with a 1-1 record, after falling to the Spiders, 78-52. The Patriots received double-digit scoring from three different players, with Brittany Poindexter and Amber Easter leading the way with 14 points each. The Patriots' top scorer on the young season is Ashleigh Braxton, who is averaging 13.5 points per game on 61.1 percent field goal shooting.
Virginia Tech is 1-1 on the season, and is coming off a 72-58 loss at CAA foe VCU on Monday evening in Richmond. Utahya Drye has been the Hokies leading scorer through two games this season, as she is contributing 14.5 points per game while Brittany Gordon leads the team with 14 rebounds.
Last time the two teams met, Brittany Eley tied a career best with 15 points to lead the Patriot offense, but Mason fell to in-state foe Virginia Tech at Patriot Center on Nov. 23, 2008, 69-52, in the two schools' first meeting in ten years. The Hokies improved to 4-0 while the Patriots fell to 0-4 as they played their final home game in nearly a month. Eley was joined in double figures by Brittney Wilkins, who reached double-digits for the second straight game with 12 points. Brittany Poindexter fell two points short of a double-double as she pulled down 12 rebounds to go with her eight points, while Eugenia Broadus led the team with four steals and three assists.
The Patriots and Hokies have only met six times, with VT winning four of the six matchups including the last two. The Patriots have historically had difficulty against members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, amassing a 4-25 record against ACC schools. Mason's last ACC victory came on Nov. 30, 2005, a 68-61 victory at Miami.
Following Thursday night's game, which can be followed live on hokiesports.com, Mason returns home to open a season-long four-game homestand, beginning with a matchup against Jacksonville on Monday evening at the Patriot Center.
