Nov. 26, 2009

The George Mason women's basketball team returns to the court on Friday night, hosting North Carolina Central for a 7 p.m. tip at the Patriot Center. Coming off a 57-49 win over Jacksonville Monday night, Mason is looking to improve to 3-2 on the year and raise its win percentage above .500 for the first time in over two years.

The Patriots have yet to drop a game at home this season, winning both of their home matchups against the Dolphins and the season opener against Norfolk State. Junior Brittany Poindexter leads the Mason offense, averaging 13 points per game while redshirt junior Ashleigh Braxton has reached double-digit scoring in each of Mason's four games, good for a 11.8 points-per-game average.

A major key to the Patriots' success early in the season has been in the category of blocks. Mason leads its opponents in that category by a 26-9 margin, led by 10 blocks from freshman Janaa Pickard.

N.C. Central comes to Fairfax seeking its first win of the season, as the Lady Eagles are 0-4. Friday night's matchup begins a seven-game road trip for NCCU, who are in the third year of the four-year NCAA Division I reclassification process. Joanna Miller has been the leader of the Eagle offense, as she has chipped in an average of 15.5 points per game. NCCU has been outscored on average by more than 28 points per game in their four losses this season.

It is the first matchup between the two schools. All-time, N.C. Central has a 4-6 record against membership of the Colonial Athletic Association, with all of its wins coming against UNC Wilmington.

Following Friday's game, the Patriots head to the second half of their four-game homestand with a Monday night matchup against Fairfield University.