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NORFOLK, Va. - Following the second 11-day break of the month, the Norfolk State women's basketball team will take to the road to play George Mason Wednesday at 7 p.m. before returning home for three games.

About George Mason: The Patriots stand 5-5 on the season and are riding a three-game win streak with victories over Stony Brook, Ohio and Longwood.

George Mason has not shot particularly well on the season, hitting just 38.6 percent for the season, including 27.5 percent from long range, and averaging 58.3 points per game. The Patriots have had a strong defense, limiting the other team to a 38.9 percent shooting clip and just 53.4 points a contest.

Brittany Poindexter leads the team with 12.4 points a game, followed by Amber Easter and Taleia Moton with 10.4 and 10.3 points, respectively. Angelee LaTouche has a team-best 6.6 rebounds, while Moton has team-highs of 27 assists and 19 steals.

Last Time Out: NSU won its second overtime game of the year in a 75-70 victory over McNeese State Dec. 18 at Joseph Echols Hall.

Whitney Long scored 22 points and hit 6-of-6 free throws in overtime as NSU knocked off the Cowgirls while hitting 47.3 percent from the floor. McNeese State connected on just 31.9 percent overall, including 4-of-18 from 3-point range (22.2 percent).

The Spartans went 7-of-11 from beyond the arc (63.6 percent), including a 4-of-4 effort by Long. Sarah Daily (15 points) and Batavia Owens (12 points) also scored in double figures, while Marian Brooks led the way with eight rebounds to go along with nine points.

Best Start in D-I: The Spartans began the year 3-0 before falling to Morehead State. It marked the first time NSU began a year 3-0 in the Division I era. The last time the Spartans won their first three games of the season was 1996-97, NSU's last year in Division II.

NSU also secured two wins in a tournament at the Comfort Inn & Suites Classic at Morehead State for the first time since 2005-06, when the Spartans got a pair of victories in the Carolina First Classic to open the season.

Already Surpassing Last Year: With a 5-3 record, NSU has already equaled the number of wins combined between the previous two seasons. A sixth win will mark the most victories since the 2006-07 campaign.

NSU also started the year out with a 4-1 record. The only other time that happened in the D-I era occurred during the 2001-02 season when NSU went on to capture the MEAC tournament title.

Leading the MEAC: NSU ranked in the top 3 in 12 different categories heading into the weekend, and led the conference in scoring offense (64.5), scoring margin (+1.1), field goal percentage (42.7), 3-point field goal percentage (37.7), rebounding margin (+3.2) and assists (13.3). NSU is the only team in the league to average more points per game than its opponent.

Nationally Ranked Defense: Through games of Dec. 12, NSU ranked 20th in the nation in 3-point field goal defense, holding opponents to a 24.7 percent clip from long range. NSU currently allows opponents to hit just 23.3 percent from long range. Updated NCAA stats were unavailable over the holidays.

Long Providing a Spark: For the second game in a row, the third time this season and fourth time in her career, Whitney Long tallied at least 20 points when she hit for 22 against McNeese State. She currently ranks fifth in the MEAC in scoring at 12.9 points per game and easily leads in 3-point field goal percentage at 51.9.

Brooks, Chambers Shooting Lights Out: So far this season, Marian Brooks and Carlon Chambers have combined to go 34-of-55 from the floor, a 61.8 percent shooting clip. Neither player, though, has attempted enough shots to rank in the MEAC.

Owning the Glass: After getting outrebounded by 7.5 boards a game last year, NSU has outrebounded six of its eight opponents this year. Through seven games, the Spartans rank first in the MEAC with a +3.2 rebounding margin.

The Spartans also had 40 or more rebounds in the first five games of the year and in seven overall. The last time NSU had at least 40 rebounds in five straight games occurred from Jan. 15, 2007-Feb. 5, 2007 during a span of six games.

Clutch at the Line: NSU hit all seven of its free throws in overtime against McNeese State and the last 10 in the game after going just 6-of-14 before that. In the overtime win against Central Arkansas on Nov. 20, NSU connected on 7-of-8 free throws in the extra session. The Spartans are hitting 55.4 percent for the season.

Increased Production: After Batavia Owens averaged 4.9 points and 5.4 rebounds a game last year, the coaches stated they needed her to be a consistent performer this year. So far the sophomore has scored in double figures in five games and has posted 9.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She ranks ninth in the conference in rebounding and third with 3.4 offensive rebounds a game.

No Sophomore Slump: After finishing first in the conference in assists and sixth in steals, Recca Trice is at it again in her sophomore campaign. She stands second in assists at 4.1 per contest, but more importantly, sits first in assist-turnover ratio at 1.5 (33 assists, 22 turnovers).

Mixing It Up: NSU will use a lot of combinations on the floor throughout the season, and it has shown so far. In all eight games on the year, NSU has had at least seven players with 12 or more minutes on the floor and has used seven different starting lineups.

What Lies Ahead: NSU will return home for a post-New Year's Day game against Savannah State Jan. 2 at Joseph Echols Hall. The last non-conference game of the season for the Spartans will get underway at 4 p.m.