Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor
Overview: Entering last week, the women’s basketball team lost its eighth consecutive and the 13th of its past 14 games after falling to the Old Dominion Monarchs on Sunday at the Patriot Center, 66-52. The George Mason University Patriots continued to struggle in the Colonial Athletic Association, winning just one of 13 conference games, and holding a conference-worst 8-16 overall record. The team will take on the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center. The Seahawks entered the week with a 9-15 overall record and 4-9 conference record.
Mason: The Patriots came up short in Wilmington two weeks ago, coming back from a nine-point halftime deficit to cut the lead to one point several times. But in the end, the Seahawks spoiled Mason’s rally with a 3-pointer which beat the shot clock buzzer. Junior guard Brittany Poindexter had a solid performance, tallying 15 points and grabbing five rebounds, including four offensive boards. Poindexter is the team leader with 12.4 points per game, and she ranks third on the team with 4.7 rebounds per game. Mason won all seven home games in non-conference play, but since then, the team’s performance on its home court has been sub-par, recording just one win in six games.
UNC-Wilmington: Despite holding the second-worst overall record in the CAA, the Seahawks have not played like a team in the cellar. The Seahawks rank 10th in scoring defense, but the team has lost by an average margin of 0.5 points. UNC-Wilmington has kept up with the conference’s top teams, nearly topping the Monarchs earlier this month. On Sunday, Feb. 14, the Seahawks shocked the James Madison Dukes 70-67 at Trask Coliseum. Even though the Seahawks committed 19 turnovers in the game, the team held the Dukes’ star player Dawn Evans to just 6-of-22 shooting. Junior guard/forward Brittany Blackwell served as the catalyst, averaging team-highs with 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Blackwell also leads the Seahawks with 62 steals for the season. The Seahawks, however, won its last meeting with the Patriots, thanks to a clutch performance from an unsung hero. Senior guard Whitney Simmons drained a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in the game.
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