SEAHAWK HOOPS GAME DAY

Feb. 4, 2006

UNC Wilmington (17-6, 10-2) Vs. George Mason University (16-5, 10-2)

7:07 p.m. EST

Patriot Center (10,000) – Fairfax, Va.

On The Air

Radio:Seahawk Sports Network (WAAV 980 AM), Mike Vaccaro (play-by-play), Joe King (Color Analyst)

Internet: UNCWsports.com, Yahoo! Sports.

Television: Time Warner Cable, Channel 17 (Wilmington only), Patrick Johnson (play-by-play), Victor Ebong (Color Analyst).

The Tipoff

UNC Wilmington visits George Mason tonight in a showdown of the Coloninal Athletic Association's two hottest teams. Sole possession of first place in the CAA is at stake as the Seahawks and Patriots put their identical 10-2 records on the line at the Patriot Center. UNCW won its fifth straight game with a 65-58 victory over Drexel on Thursday at Trask Coliseum. GMU, meanwhile, has won nine of its last 10, with the only loss coming to UNCW on Jan. 21 in Wilmington.

The Coaches

UNCW's Brad Brownell (75-38 Overall, 75-38 UNCW)

Named sixth head coach in UNCW history on April 24, 2002...Served eight years as an aide with the program, four as an assistant coach and four as associate head coach, prior to taking over in 2002-03...Led Seahawks to school-record 24 victories in first season and was named CAA Coach-of-the-Year for his efforts...Has played key role in helping Seahawks rack up five post-season berths in the last eight seasons, including Colonial Athletic Association championships in 2000, 2002 & 2003....Served two seasons as assistant coach at University of Indianapolis from 1993-94 before coming to Wilmington...Also worked as graduate assistant coach at University of Evansville...Played three seasons at DePauw for Coach Royce Waltman, leading the Tigers to a pair of national tournament appearances...Age 37.

GMU's Jim Larranaga (353-270 Overall, 155-102 GMU)

Has guided GMU to four post-season berths in eight seasons, two NCAA's (1999, 2001) and a pair of NIT (2002, 2004) bids...Coached GMU to 16-13 record in 2004-05...Led Patriots to 23-10 overall record and 12-6 league mark in 2003-04...Piloted Patriots to 16-12 overall mark in 2002-03...Led GMU to 19-10 overall record and second place finish in CAA in 2001-02...Served 12 years as assistant coach at Davidson and Virginia...Headed up program at American International for two seasons (28-25)...Led Bowling Green to 170-144 mark in 11 years, including three NIT appearances...Named CAA Coach-of-the-Year in 1998-99 after leading GMU to 19-11 overall mark and 13-3 conference ledger...Played collegiately at Providence and professionally in Belgium...Native of Bronx, N.Y...Age 56.

Probable Starters

UNC Wilmington “Seahawks”

John Goldsberry, 6-3, 185, Sr., Guard, 12.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg

T.J. Carter, 6-3, 195, Jr., Guard, 11.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Todd Hendley, 6-9, 225, So., Forward, 10.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg

Beckham Wyrick, 6-6, 220, Sr., Forward, 5.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg

Mitch Laue, 6-7, 235, Sr., Forward, 7.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg

George Mason “Patriots”

Tony Skinn, 6-1, 175, Sr., Guard, 12.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg

Lamar Butler, 6-2, 170, Sr., Guard, 12.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Folarin Campbell, 6-4, 200, So., Guard, 10.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg

Will Thomas, 6-7, 220, Sr., Forward, 10.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg

Jai Lewis, 6-7, 275, Sr., Forward, 13.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg

About UNCW

A showdown for first place in the CAA takes place tonight as UNC Wilmington and George Mason lock horns for the second time this season. The Seahawks took the first meeting, 69-32, on Jan. 21, but the Patriots have won three straight games since that time and join UNCW as the hottest teams in the loop…Coach Brad Brownell's club has won five straight contests and eight of its last nine games, with the only loss a triple overtime defeat at Hofstra. Four of UNCW's defeats this season have been decided by five points or less.

About George Mason

George Mason won for the ninth time in 10 games by edging Delaware, 57-52, Thursday night at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Dela. The Patriots used an 11-0 run midway through the first half to break away from the Blue Hens and sophomore forward Will Thomas recorded the fourth double double of his career to notch the win. Thomas finished with 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, while Folarin Campell and Tony Skinn scored 10 points apiece. GMU improved to 16-5 overall, the second best start in the school's history.

Last UNCW Outing

Junior guard T.J. Carter poured in 16 of his 18 points in the first half and UNCW opened the second half with a 16-4 run in a 65-58 triumph over Drexel last Thursday at Trask Coliseum. The Seahawks completed a sweep of the regular season series and kept Drexel skipper Bruiser Flint winless in Wilmington by holding the Dragons to 30.8 percent shooting. Sophomore forward Todd Hendley added 14 points and senior forward Beckham Wyrick chipped in seven points and seven boards for the Seahawks.

UNCW-GMU Series History

The Seahawks and Patriots are squaring off for the 57th time tonight. UNCW has won three straight in the competitive series, but GMU leads overall by a 29-27 margin and has won six of the last 10 matchups. UNCW and GMU have squared off at six different sites…UNCW and George Mason have met nine times in the CAA Tournament. GMU owns a 6-3 edge, including championship victories in 1989 (78-72, OT) and 2001 (35-33). The eight-game series in tournament play includes overtime contests in 1989, 1994 and 1999…The Seahawks and Patriots have been juggernauts in the CAA in recent years. The two clubs have combined to win five of the last seven CAA crowns.

Brownell Vs. Larranaga

UNCW's Brad Brownell stands 4-5 against GMU's Jim Larranaga. GMU and ODU are the only clubs in the CAA that Brownell has a losing record against in his four seasons on the bench.

News & Notes

Brad Brownell is 4-5 in eight clashes with the Patriots. UNCW has averaged 64.0 ppg in those games, while GMU has collected 64.3 ppg…UNCW skipper Brad Brownell has not beaten GMU on its home floor in three tries. The Patriots have won by 12, 13 and 5 points in the three meetings in Fairfax…In the last meeting between the two teams at the Patriot Center, junior guard Tony Skinn's 15 points anchored four GMU players in double figures in a 74-69 verdict over the Seahawks on Jan. 8, 2005. GMU led, 32-30, at halftime and held on to turn back the stubborn Seahawks, who drained 10 3-pointers in the contest. The Patriots countered by going 25-of-36 at the charity stripe as Jim Larranaga picked up his 130th career win at GMU…UNCW stands 5-1 against Virginia opponents this season and 124-141 lifetime against teams from their northern neighbor. Overall, the Seahawks have played 13 teams from the state of Virginia through the years…UNCW's John Goldsberry has averaged 6.8 points , 3.3 rebounds in nine games against GMU. He has shot 33.9 percent from the floor, 36.6 percent behind the arc and 44.4 percent at the free throw line…While UNCW skipper Brad Brownell will be coaching in his 75th CAA game tonight, all eyes will be on the Patriot bench. GMU's Jim Larranaga is tied with former Richmond coach Dick Tarrant with 106 conference victories and could break Tarrant's record tonight… The Seahawks have been outstanding defensively over the last eight games. Only one team - Hofstra - has scored more than 63 points against UNCW in that stretch and it took three overtimes. Three clubs - Towson, James Madison and Northeastern - failed to crack the 50-point barrier…GMU's Jai Lewis has averaged 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in nine games against UNCW. He has shot 52.1 percent from the floor, 16.7 percent behind the arc and 64.3 percent at the free throw line…In the last two games, the Seahawks have shot their worst from the floor and their lowest at the free throw line this season. UNCW made just 28.4 percent of its field goal attempts in a 46-44 win over Northeastern last Saturday and then converted only 12-of-25 free throws for 48.0 percent in Thursday's decision over Drexel.

Next Up For The Seahawks

Following tonight's game, the Seahawks return home for a rematch with Delaware on Thursday, Feb. 9, at Trask Coliseum. UNCW raced past the Blue Hens, 71-58, in the first meeting on Jan. 5 in Newark, Dela.

Upcoming Schedule

Thursday, Feb. 9, Vs. Delaware, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 11, at Georgia State, 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 15, Vs. Hofstra, 7:00 p.m.