Broadside Sports

Cody Norman, Staff Writer

Over the last two seasons, the men’s basketball team has posted an incredible 25-1 record while playing at the Patriot Center.

They have notched 18 consecutive victories against Colonial Athletic Association opponents dating all the way back to Feb. 16, 2008. As fate would have it, the Patriots took the court on Tuesday night against the William & Mary Tribe, exactly two years since their last home conference loss.

The Patriots were without sophomore forward Mike Morrison, who was suspended for two games after receiving a pair of technical fouls in the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs last Saturday. Morrison is averaging eight points and better than five rebounds per game this season, so Head Coach Jim Larranaga and his squad had a sizeable hole to fill on Tuesday night.

After an extremely slow start on the offensive end, redshirt freshman forward Kevin Foster came off the bench to spark the home team. Foster brought energy to both sides of the floor and finished the half with 12 points, five rebounds, two blocks and one steal in just 12 minutes of work.

Sophomore guard Andre Cornelius found his stroke from long range and canned 3-of-4 3-pointers in an early nine-point effort.

The Patriots held a 36-25 advantage after 20 minutes of play due in large part to a 21-4 bench scoring advantage.

William & Mary closed the gap with an immediate 5-0 run and were right on the Patriots’ heels for the rest of the way. With the score tied at 50 and seven minutes remaining in the game, Mason seemed to regain momentum after back-to-back alley-oops from freshman forward Luke Hancock to Foster gave the Patriots a four-point advantage.

“[The consecutive alley-oops] got the crowd into it,” said Hancock. “It felt like we were going to execute, but [the Tribe] responded.”

The Tribe clawed their way back again and outscored Mason 13-6 in the closing minutes to hand the Patriots their first home conference loss in exactly two years by a final score of 63-60.

Foster filled the void left by Morrison’s suspension by racking up 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting and gathering nine rebounds in 29 minutes of work for Larranaga’s squad.

Hancock added seven points and seven assists, and Cornelius finished the night with nine points.

The Patriots’ top two scorers, junior guard Cam Long and sophomore forward Ryan Pearson, combined for only nine points in the losing effort.

Larranaga was certainly disappointed to see the team’s winning streak come to an end, but he was not dissatisfied with the effort his team gave.

“We certainly played well enough to win the game,” said Larranaga. “We had the ball right there at the end with a chance to win the game. Some night[s] you finish [and] make a couple free throws like we did [against VCU] and tonight we missed a driving layup because the defender made a great defensive play.”

The Patriots will play one last home game this season when they host top-ranked Northeastern Huskies on Saturday, Feb. 27 at the Patriot Center.

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

The men’s basketball team fell for the first time in nearly a month, losing in a 61-57 decision to the Georgia State Panthers last Wednesday. Mason (15-8, 10-2), winners of seven straight, had its road winning streak end at three games, while the Panthers (10-14, 4-8) evened up the season series.

Sophomore forward Ryan Pearson led the Patriots with 13 points and eight rebounds, and freshman forward Luke Hancock added 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting. But the team could not contain Panthers’ reserve player Jihad Ali, who scored a game-high 22 points to surpass his previous high of 12 points. Ali hit the eventual game-winner, a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to give the Panthers a 58-57 lead.

Mason was in control in the first half, leading by as much as seven points. Junior guard Isaiah Tate nailed two 3-pointers leading to his eight first-half points. The Patriots went into the half with a 27-22 lead, but both offenses had a sluggish start in the first 20 minutes.

The Panthers shot just 29.6 percent from the field but Mason was not any better, shooting 34.5 percent.

In the second half, the Panthers clawed back from a five-point deficit to take a 39-36 lead at the 12-minute mark. From there, both teams traded baskets with neither team leading by more than four points.

But with less than three minutes left, sophomore forward Mike
Morrison scored a layup to give Mason a 57-53 lead. After two free throws from Panthers’ Joe Dukes cut the lead in half, Ali sank a 3-pointer from the corner, Ousman Krubally extended the Panthers’ lead with two free throws, and Dukes put the game away with a free throw in the closing seconds.

The loss drops Mason into a three-way tie with the Old Dominion Monarchs and Northeastern Huskies in the Colonial Athletic Association standings. The Patriots pulled to .500 on the road after winning the previous three games.

Last January, the Patriots held off the Panthers’ bid for an upset at the Patriot Center. This time around, Mason was unable to escape a crucial road game, especially when its leading scorer was held in check. Coming off of several 20-point games, junior guard Cam Long missed eight of his nine shots and scored just two points. Both teams shot for over 50 percent in the second half, but in the end, the Panthers had the advantage in going to the line more.

The Patriots traveled to Philadelphia to take on the Drexel Dragons last Saturday.

Last week, the Patriots hosted the VCU Rams in a highly anticipated match between the two rivals, and on Saturday, Mason looked to reclaim its lead in the conference as the team battles the Monarchs in Norfolk.

John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor

I’ll admit. I was a bit perturbed after watching the clock wind down with only one Mason point on the board. The Monarch fan laughing maniacally in my ear for the entire game did not help either.
A 16-point run at the beginning of the game was, needless to say, disconcerting.

The first half of the Old Dominion game got me thinking, “Why is it that when the Patriots travel to play a decent team, they seem to flounder on offense?”

I was reminded of the pitiful game at George Washington, but at least that loss did not count for a conference record.

“Guys, we’re playing George Mason, not Georgetown,” said an ODU fan sitting behind me at the game.

Have the Patriots really come to this? Mason was once in sole possession of the top spot in the conference, ahead of the Old Dominion team that subsequently handed Mason a terrible loss, sending them to third place.

I had high hopes for the team after seeing them do well, albeit losing, in the game against then-No. 5 Villanova in the ESPN Puerto Rico Challenge.

Because of this loss in Norfolk, Va., however, I find myself oddly reassured of my pre-season prediction for the team.

I went on “Sports Talk with Brian,” a GMU radio show that aired on a Tuesday afternoon near the beginning of the season and predicted that the Patriots would find themselves in the National Invitational Tournament, making it a round or two before their season-ending loss.

Here’s a more relevant prediction for who will finish where in the conference: No. 1 Old Dominion, No. 2 Northeastern, No. 3 George Mason, No. 4 VCU.

This would put Northeastern and Mason on the same side of the bracket, with Old Dominion and VCU on the other side. Assuming that the lower-ranked teams are taken care of, which may be a bit of a chore for whoever plays William & Mary, this would actually set up for a possible VCU-GMU championship game.

While the winner gets an automatic bid into the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, other Colonial Athletic Association teams will have to fight for one of the “at-large” spots.

Because of Mason’s inability to win against top-25 teams, with Old Dominion’s success against ranked teams and the streaks of other top CAA teams, Mason has relatively little chance of making the NCAA tournament.

At least that’s what I thought until Sunday night. Northeastern was taken down in a heart-pumping 53-52 loss at home, making them paired with Old Dominion for the first place spot in the conference, only one game ahead of Mason.

In addition, James Madison pulled out a last-minute win at home against the until-recently hot VCU. Madison gained only their fourth win in conference play, however the VCU loss is much more important for the conference.

William & Mary and Drexel are tied for fourth place, just a game behind Mason, with just a few games left in the weeks before the tournament, enough time for anything to happen.

With four games left in Mason’s schedule, and only three against conference teams, there is still time to find out what the seeds will be, setting up for another exciting CAA tournament, and subsequently the NCAA tournament.

Donald O’Mahony, Broadside Correspondent

The expectations will be high when the United States soccer team arrives at this summer’s World Cup. After their surprise run in 2002 and their tough draw in 2006, the Americans are poised for a solid showing in 2010.

Americans everywhere were thrilled on Dec. 9 of last year when their team was drawn into a group with England, Algeria and Slovenia.

Many worried that the U.S. would be drawn into another tough group like they were in 2006, with Italy, Czech Republic and Ghana.

However, Group C looks to be one of the most straightforward groups going into the summer.

If everything goes as expected, the U.S. should finish second in Group C and would likely take on Germany in the round of 16. The Americans would be looking to avenge a controversial loss to the Germans in the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup.

It will be very important for Head Coach Bob Bradley to have his team playing at the highest level possible going into the summer. Whispers of a coaching change for the U.S. were starting to be heard before their outstanding performance at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which they beat Spain and lead Brazil 2-0 until a second half collapse.

The Americans have a solid core of talent to build their team around. Goalkeeper Tim Howard is one of the best in the English Premier League. Any team would feel confident with a keeper that strong behind them.

Defender Oguchi Onyewu made a high profile move to AC Milan during the summer, but a knee injury has kept him sidelined for most of the season. Jonathan Spector is another solid player that can be counted on at right back.

Winger Clint Dempsey was also having a solid season in England before suffering a knee injury. All signs point to him being fit again for the summer, and Americans will have their fingers crossed that he can be back in top form. Landon Donovan is currently playing for Everton in England, and the experience against top talent should help get him prepared for the summer.

The problem for the Americans lately has come in finding a good balance in the midfield. Michael Bradley, the son of Bob, is almost certain to be on the field when the Americans take on England in their first match.

Another problem that needs to be addressed is the Americans’ lack of finishing.

A lot of responsibility could fall on the shoulders of young Jozy Altidore. Currently in England with Hull City, he is struggling to get playing time, and struggling even more to score goals when he gets his chances. Hopefully the 20-year-old can handle the pressure of an entire country this summer, because he will have two or three chances to directly affect the outcome of the games he plays.

When it comes down to it, Coach Bradley’s job might be on the line again this summer. The Americans are expected to advance from their group, and anything can happen after that. On the other hand, if the Americans fail to meet expectations, they could be looking for a new coach come July.

Cody Norman, Staff Writer

The men’s basketball team carried a 17-game home conference winning streak back into the Patriot Center for another Colonial Athletic Association matchup with the VCU Rams on Tuesday night. Mason had dropped back-to-back games for the first time in 2010 while the Rams were one of the hottest teams in the CAA, winning eight of their previous nine contests.

The ESPNU crew was in attendance to broadcast the thrilling rivalry, former Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington sat courtside and the Patriot Center was packed with the most students in school history. Tuesday night’s game had all the makings of an unforgettable matchup, and it certainly lived up to all the hype.

The Patriots came out a little flat-footed in the first half and got beat to seemingly every loose ball. VCU capitalized on 22 points in the paint while connecting on 13 points off nine Mason turnovers.

VCU left the court at halftime with a comfortable 41-28 lead and appeared to have the Patriots right where they wanted them.
But Mason’s only senior, forward Louis Birdsong, gave his team a much needed lift as he scored five straight points highlighted by an impressive one-handed slam over VCU’s Larry Sanders with 16:37 remaining in the game. Sophomore forward Mike Morrison got in on the action, scoring eight of Mason’s next 14 points to trim the Rams’ lead to seven.

Birdsong gave Mason its first lead of the second half with just under four minutes to go, but the Rams immediately regained control and held a four-point lead with just 23 seconds to play. With his team down a pair and about 11 seconds remaining, junior Cam Long snatched the defensive rebound and took the ball the length of the floor before being fouled by Sanders. The foul sent Sanders to the bench and put Long on the line with a chance to tie the game. Long sank both attempts to knot the game at 69 and send the game into overtime.

After two big buckets by the Rams’ Joey Rodriguez, Morrison retied the game at 74. Freshman forward Luke Hancock scored on a pretty reverse left handed layup before sophomore forward Ryan Pearson’s and-one put the Patriots ahead by five and ultimately sealed the deal for the home team.

“You can see the impact effort has. You think you’re playing hard but then you turn it up a notch and realize ‘Wow, I’m playing harder than I did in the first half,’” said Head Coach Jim Larranaga, pleased with his team’s effort in the second half.

Long led the way with 19 points and five assists, and Morrison recorded an impressive 18-point and 10-rebound double-double performance in the winning effort. Birdsong was an efficient 5-of-6 from the floor for 13 points.

Rodriguez carried the Rams on his back for most of the second half and tallied 24 points and seven assists on the night. Sanders poured in 13 points, but the Rams’ big man was limited to just two in a second half that was plagued by foul troubles.

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

For the second straight game, the women’s basketball team fell short in an inspiring effort on the road.

Mason lost its seventh consecutive game and 11th overall road game in a 51-47 loss to the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks on Thursday night.
The Patriots dropped to 8-15 overall and 1-11 in the Colonial Athletic Association while the Seahawks improved to 8-15 overall and 3-9 in the conference.

In the first half, junior guard Brittany Poindexter led Mason with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting and grabbed four rebounds, and freshman forward Janaa Pickard and junior guard Ashleigh Braxton added four points apiece.

The team trailed 27-18 at halftime after shooting just 32.1 percent from the field.

Mason started the game down 5-4 at the 15:37 mark, but the Seahawks responded with a 9-0 run and eventually extended its lead to 15 late in the first half.

Down 25-10 at the point, the Patriots closed the half on an 8-2 run.
Mason’s persistent run had gradually trimmed into the Seahawks’ lead; midway through the second half, Mason had trailed by just three points at 39-36.

The Seahawks scored the next six points, but Mason again mounted a comeback, cutting the lead to one with 51 seconds left after Poindexter laid up her game-high 15th point.

Held scoreless for the first 39 minutes in the game, Whitney Simmons hit a clutch 3-pointer to beat the shot clock buzzer. Simmons ultimately put the Patriots away for good, stealing the ball from junior forward/center Angelee LaTouche in the closing seconds.

In addition to shooting 7-of-16 from the field and tallying 15 points, Poindexter recorded a game-high three steals.

Freshman forward Amber Easter scored all of her 14 points in the second half.

The Patriots shot better in the second half, connecting on 12 of 28 shot attempts and additionally held the Seahawks to a 36.8 field goal percentage.

The team still struggled to generate points from the charity stripe, shooting just five free throw attempts as opposed to the Seahawks’ 22 free throw attempts.

Forward Brittany Blackwell was the only Seahawk to register double-digit points, scoring 11 points in the contest. Blackwell also grabbed eight rebounds.

Center Martha White added nine points and nine rebounds and blocked two shots in 27 minutes of play.

Coming off a tough loss to the Delaware Blue Hens on Sunday, surrendering a seven-point lead in the second half to fall 61-57, the Patriots had to overcome a 15-point deficit on Thursday against the Seahawks.

The Patriots have played better on the road as of late, getting a number of opportunities to win the game.

Nonetheless, the loss marks the Patriots’ 20th consecutive road loss dating back to last season.

Mason will once again get another crack at ending the streak as they take on the Hofstra Pride in Hempstead, N.Y. on Thursday.

Cody Norman, Staff Writer

Since rattling off six wins in eight games to open up the 2009-10 campaign, the women’s basketball team has gone cold. Their offense has stammered as the Patriots have only topped the 60-point mark once in their last 11 outings and have notched an ugly 2-11 record.

Although they have played extremely well at home this season, notching an 8-4 record, the Patriots have recorded only one win against their conference opponents.

“We have somehow gotten so focused on the fact that we don’t hit shots that we’re not defending as well as I thought we had earlier in the season,” said Head Coach Jeri Porter of her team’s recent defensive woes. “I thought we were a good defensive basketball team and here in the last couple games, we just have not defended very well at all.”

In Thursday night’s Colonial Athletic Association matchup with the Hofstra Pride, the story continued.

Mason’s struggles at the offensive end transitioned to a poor defensive effort as the Patriots connected on just 13 of 51 shot attempts in its 72-39 loss to the Pride.

The Patriots made only five of its 26 shot attempts in the first half, but a solid 3-point shooting effort kept the game within reach.

Junior guard Ashleigh Braxton opened the game with a 3-pointer, and Mason held a 5-4 lead at the 16-minute mark. But the Pride would go on a 19-3 run in the next eight minutes to take a commanding 15-point lead before going into halftime with a 31-14 advantage.

Mason came out flat in the second half and allowed Hofstra to push their lead to 40 points with a 1:41 left in the second half. The Pride coasted to an impressive victory, making 60 percent of its shots.

After shooting 56 percent in the first half, the Pride upped shooting to 64 percent in the second half, outscoring the Patriots 41-25.

Senior guard Rashauna Hobbs was the only Patriot to notch double-digit points as she scored 10 points while knocking down two 3-pointers. Freshman forward Amber Easter turned in a solid outing as she went for nine points and six rebounds.

“We’re a little tentative, a little passive with the offense right now because it’s been a challenge for us to put the ball in the basket all season. And I think that’s starting to affect the way we run our offense right now,” said Porter as she addressed the concerns of her struggling offense.

The Pride controlled the game from beginning to end. Nicole Capurso sank four long-range jumpers in an impressive 20-point performance and Jess Fuller followed up with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Candice Bellocchio played an excellent game from the point guard position and recorded 10 points and five assists in the winning effort.
Without a significant post presence, Mason was muscled around in the paint for much of the night and was outscored 38-12 in the key. The Pride outrebounded Mason on the boards, 39-24.

“One of our major weaknesses is that we don’t have a true back-to-the-basket post player,” said Porter. “We try to get high percentage shots by penetrating as opposed to making a lot of post entry passes. And [Hofstra] did a good job of taking that away. And we really didn’t do a good job reading that.”

The Patriots were originally scheduled for a 2 p.m. start against the Delaware Blue Hens in Newark, Del. on Sunday, but due to the inclement weather, the game was pushed to an hour later.

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Overview:
The women’s lacrosse team will battle the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays on Saturday at 1 p.m. at George Mason Stadium. Mason concluded the 2009 season with a 6-10 overall record and 2-5 conference record, defeating the James Madison Dukes 8-7 in the regular season finale. The Patriots hosted its season opener last week against the UMBC Golden Retrievers. Johns Hopkins opened the season ranked 15th in the nation last year and defeated the Patriots 15-10 in the opener.

Saturday’s game will mark the Blue Jays’ season opener. The Blue Jays finished 5-12 overall last season while going 0-4 in the American Lacrosse Conference.

Mason:
The Patriots return with four 20-goal scorers from last season. Among the quad is the leading scorer, junior attacker Madalyn Jamison. The Second-Team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection led the Patriots with 59 points on 29 goals and 30 assists. Jamison recorded a game-high five goals and seven points twice last season.

Junior midfielder Chelsea Gamble will also provide some offensive spark for Mason. Last season, she scored 21 goals and led the team with a .538 shot percentage.

Johns Hopkins:
The Blue Jays will be led by its two sophomore standouts, attacker Candace Rossi and midfielder Colleen McCaffrey. Rossi started 15 of 17 games last year, notching a team-high 29 goals and 33 points; McCaffrey followed with 28 points and recorded a .549 shot percentage. Junior goalie Julianne Wisner posted a 2-9 record, posting a .428 save percentage. Senior goalie Lizzie O’Ferrall split time with Wisner last season, going 2-3 and allowing 12.88 goals per game.

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

For the first time in two years, the men’s tennis team will be without the duo of Brian Fitzgerald and Dan Schneider. In contrast to last year, Mason enters the spring 2010 season with a youth-oriented team.
Head Coach Gary Quam returns for his 21st season with Mason.

After being eliminated in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, the team wrapped up its 2009 season with a 5-12 record.

With only three returning players from last year’s squad, the team looks to receive a large contribution from its newcomers. Mason will be headed by sophomore Jorge Osuna and freshman Kevin McMillen at the top.

“Last year, we had an older team — we had a bunch of seniors. Now, we have a fresh team; we don’t have as much experience as last year,” said Osuna of the change entering this season.

Osuna also believes that the recruitment can potentially lead to positive results next year.

“We have really good recruits, so the future seems to be quite promising,” said Osuna.

Osuna served as the team’s lone freshman last year. This year, the team brought in McMillen and five other freshmen.

Osuna and McMillen each led the team with four singles wins in the fall season. At number one, Osuna began the season winning both matches at the Mason Fall Invitational tournament in September.
Last year, Osuna was an immediate impact at the number two position. He posted a 10-9 singles record; in the first-round loss to the Georgia State Panthers in the CAA Tournament, Osuna was Mason’s lone victor. This year, Osuna will have an even bigger role as the team’s top singles player.

Last year, Brian Fitzgerald anchored the top spot in singles, posting a 29-22 overall record in his two years with the team. In addition to losing last year’s number three player, Dan Schneider, to graduation, the team will rely heavily on Osuna and its young core.

McMillen started his collegiate career defeating his opponents from Loyola University and Mount St. Mary’s University at the tournament.
McMillen comes from a program in which boys’ tennis has been a stronghold over the years.

At Mills Godwin High School, he earned all-district honors in each of his four years; in his senior year, he helped the Eagles win the Virginia AAA State Championship.

Starting as the team’s number two player, McMillen will be put in a similar situation as Osuna had been in last year.

In addition to playing at the top two singles spots, Osuna and McMillen will serve as the number one doubles team. The pair had a 2-6 record in the fall.

Despite losing its first five matches, the Osuna/McMillen team won two matches at the Bucknell Invitational in October before falling in the championship match.

Freshmen Patrick Mulquin, Devin Leonard and Sam Coster will also provide a solid foundation to the team’s youth. Mulquin, a four-time All-Gazette selection, led his high school team, Georgetown Prep, to its best season in the past two decades.

Leonard was recruited from Donoho High School in Oxford, Ala. In his four years with Robinson Secondary High School, Coster lost only two matches.

Along with Osuna, the team has two other returning players. Last year, the team had four seniors, including its top doubles pair
Fitzgerald/Schneider.

Senior Imran Nayeem is the lone representative this year. Last year, he won four matches while playing at the number five and six positions.
Nayeem had a 2-2 record this past fall. Also at the back-end, junior Arjun Sanghvi won nine overall matches last year.

The team played its home opener against the Shepherd Rams in Burke last Saturday. Mason will host its first match at the Robinson Tennis Courts on Mar. 20 against the Delaware Blue Hens.

With seven newcomers on the team, six of which are freshmen, the men’s tennis team will look to use this season as a building block for years to come.

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Overview:
The men’s basketball team has its home conference winning streak of 18 games in jeopardy as the team takes on the William & Mary Tribe on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. At the same time, Mason will look to prolong its nine-game home winning streak. The Patriots will host another tough opponent in the College of Charleston Cougars in the ESPN BracketBuster on Saturday at 8 p.m. Entering Saturday’s game against the Old Dominion Monarchs, the Patriots held a 16-9 overall record and 11-3 conference record.

Mason:
Two months ago, the Patriots dropped a nail-biter to the Dayton Flyers, snapping its 18-home game winning streak. Since then, Mason has won nine consecutive games, including a thriller last Tuesday against Colonial Athletic Association rival, VCU Rams. Even when the team had to rally from a 13-point halftime deficit, the Patriots did not dismantle in the overtime period. Mason has won 27 of its past 28 games at the Patriot Center. Sophomore forward Mike Morrison delivered a career-high 18 points and added 10 rebounds to his double-double while holding Rams’ Larry Sanders to just two points in the second half of the 82-77 win.

William & Mary:
After starting 14-3, the Tribe lost four of its next five games. The Tribe went back to its winning ways, defeating the Georgia State Panthers 59-56 in Atlanta. William & Mary returned to the Kaplan Arena, hosting the Delaware Blue Hens and Northeastern Huskies. The Tribe holds the best overall road record in the CAA at 8-5, but against the conference opponents, the Tribe is just 4-3. William & Mary currently sits in sixth place in the conference, just a half game behind the Rams, while holding a three-game advantage over the 5-8 Hofstra Pride. Guard David Schneider leads the Tribe with 15.8 points per game and 64 3-pointers. The senior is among the conference’s best all-around players, averaging a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game to go along with 33 steals.

College of Charleston:
The Cougars are led by its three-guard attack. Andrew Goudelock averages 19.7 points per night and leads the team with 93 assists in 25 games. Donavan Monroe and Tony White, Jr. average 12.2 points and 11.6 points, respectively. Forward Jeremy Simmons is the Cougars’ leading rebounder with 7.7 boards per game. Head Coach Bobby Cremins, a former great at Georgia Tech, has produced a high-scoring team that averages 74.2 points per game. The Cougars will not shy away from shooting 3-pointers, totaling 241 treys in 637 attempts. The Cougars are having a solid season at 16-9 overall, especially defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels earlier this year. Last week, the Cougars fell for the first time at home, losing to the Citadel Bulldogs 72-65 at the Carolina First Arena. The team will look for its first non-conference road win, having gone 0-5 thus far.
Records and statistics accurate as of Friday, February 12, 2010.