HARRISONBURG, Va. ? The fifth-seeded UNC Wilmington women's basketball team opens the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Women's Basketball Championship Thursday with a first-round contest against No. 12 seed George Mason at the JMU Convocation Center at 2:30 p.m.

The game will be available on the Seahawk Sports Network through Yahoo! sports online broadcast service. Live video is also available through CAAsports.com and can be accessed by clicking on the link above.

UNCW heads into the championship with its highest seed in five seasons, matching its No. 5 seed for the 2004 championship. The Seahawks are 10-24 in 24 previous appearances in the championship, but have advanced to the quarterfinals in each of the past two seasons and have two championship game appearances in the past decade (2000, 2002).

“That's what you battle for all year long, to set yourself up for the four days in March and give yourself the best chance to be successful,” said Hancock. “Outside of earning a first-round bye, it's a great finish for us. No matter what seed you are, you have to be ready to play from day one. We cannot afford to look past George Mason. We need to continue what to do what we're doing and make sure we take it one game at a time.”

The Seahawks closed out the regular season March 4 with a 74-65 loss to James Madison at Trask Coliseum. The game was a close affair that featured six ties and five lead changes in the first half and James Madison hanging onto a single-digit advantage until the final minutes of the second half, when Dukes scoring sensation Dawn Evans scored seven of JMU's final nine points to push the JMU advantage to 10 and help the Dukes secure the nine-point victory.

Sophomore Brittany Blackwell paced the Seahawks with 19 points and eight rebounds while classmate Martha White matched her career-high with 16 points. The Seahawks were 24-of-58 (.414) from the floor in the contest, but just 14-of-22 (.636) at the charity stripe. Rebounding was also a factor in the contest as the Dukes held a 42-29 advantage on the glass and enjoyed a 20-10 second-half advantage in points in the paint.

“I was pleased with our effort against James Madison and I thought we executed the game plan we designed,” said Hancock. “Dawn Evans is a great player who made a couple of tremendous plays down the stretch to lead JMU to victory. The game was important it once again proves we can play with the top teams in the league. But, we need to be better on the boards and convert free-throws down the stretch if we want to compete at the highest level.”

Despite the loss to the Dukes, the Seahawks head into the tournament winners of five of their last seven contests as they turned a 4-7 mark through the first 11 conference games into a 9-9 ledger and sole possession of fifth place in the regular season standings. The accomplishment is even more impressive given the fact that the team has had to play without the services of senior Sahsha Taylor, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury. Taylor was 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds when she went out of the lineup in early February.  

“We're coming together at the right time,” said Hancock. “We've grown up a lot in the last seven games. Kristen (Hanzer) is not playing like a freshman anymore as she has been able to come off the bench and give us tremendous minutes. Martha (White) has blossomed in front of our eyes, becoming a legitimate scoring threat, even playing against some of the toughest defenders in the league. Other players have adapted their roles since Sahsha went out of the lineup as her injury has caused us to adjust. Everyone is doing what is necessary to make us better.”

George Mason heads into Thursday's matchup with a 4-25 overall mark as they recorded a 2-16 record in conference play to end up with the No. 12 seed. Sophomore Brittany Poindexter paces the Patriots attack in scoring (10.1) while sophomore Brittany Eley and senior Brittney Wilkins are tied for second (9.1). Eugenia Broadus leads the team's rebounding efforts (6.8) and freshman Becky Cox paces the team in assists (2.6).

George Mason leads the all-time series by a 32-23 margin, but UNCW has dominated the series in recent years, winning 13 of the last 14 meetings since the start of the 2002-03 season. The Seahawks won both regular-season meetings, claiming a 68-52 victory at the Patriot Center on Jan. 29 and a 69-40 decision at Trask Coliseum on Feb. 12. Blackwell has averaged 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in the two meetings, including a double-double performance of 19 points and 12 rebounds in the team's first meeting on Jan. 29. White has also been quite dominant, averaging 8.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in the two games.

“George Mason is a dangerous team that like everyone else, has new life heading into the start of the tournament;” said Hancock. “They are a very athletic team who was able to beat Old Dominion late in the season, so they are capable of beating anyone in this league. It will be a battle of who executes their game plan best and makes the most plays. Both teams know each other well and it's tough to beat a three times in a season, so we need to be ready for the challenge.”

The winner of Thursday's first round contest advances to the quarterfinals, where they will face No. 4 seed Old Dominion in a 2:30 p.m. matchup Friday.