Feb. 11, 2009

Fresh off its first win of the new year and first conference victory, the George Mason women's basketball team will look to make it two in a row when it faces UNC Wilmington on Thursday to begin a three-game road trip. Tip-off at Trask Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m.

UNCW enters Thursday night's matchup with a 10-12 record (4-7 CAA) after dropping its last three contests. After the Jan. 29 victory over the Patriots, the Seahawks have lost to Drexel, VCU and Old Dominion. They are led by sophomore Brittany Blackwell, who is averaging 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest.

Sunday's win over Georgia State broke a streak of 11-straight losses for the Patriots, encompassing all of Mason's games in 2009 and matching the school record for consecutive games without a victory. Additionally, it snapped an 18- game CAA winless streak dating back to Feb. 10, 2008.

Mason leads the all-time series, 32-22, but UNCW has taken wins in each of the last eight matchups.

Last time the two teams met, freshman Becky Cox scored a career-high 14 points, 12 of which coming from behind the arc, to lead Mason in a 68-52 defeat at the hands of UNC Wilmington on Jan. 29 at Patriot Center in Colonial Athletic Association competition. Mason dropped to 2-17, 0-8 in CAA play following the loss, while the Seahawks improved to 4-4 in conference play and 10-9 overall. Cox was one of two Patriots in double figures, as senior Brittney Wilkins contributed 13 points. UNCW was led by 19 points and 12 rebounds from Brittany Blackwell.

3,073 fans packed into Patriot Center on Sunday to watch Mason defeat the Panthers as part of the CAA and NCAA's Pack the House Challenge. The crowd was the second largest in school history, narrowly trailing the record number of 3,152 which saw the Patriots defeated by East Carolina on Jan. 23, 2000.