WILMINGTON, N.C. - Less than 48 hours after an impressive home victory over Coastal Carolina, the UNC Wilmington women's basketball team embarks on a five-game road swing Thursday with a visit to Mid-American Conference foe Ohio. Tip-off from the Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m. 

Live stats for the game are available and can be accessed by clicking on the link above.

The five-game road trip will span 17 days and approximately 3,000 miles as the Seahawks play a pair of games in the Buckeye State against MAC members Ohio and Kent State before taking a five-day break for the Christmas holiday. Upon its return from the break, UNCW will travel to Maryland for games against Stony Brook and Maryland in the Terrapin Christmas Classic. The Seahawks close out the stretch Jan. 3 when they open Colonial Athletic Association play in Atlanta against Georgia State.  

"This five-game road trip will prepare us for what lies ahead the rest of the season," said Hancock. "In order to be successful, we have to learn how to play and win on the road. Even though we have veteran team, these upcoming games will serve our younger players well as they learn what it takes to win on a regular basis at the college level."

The Seahawks are taking to the road after a solid 70-40 victory over regional rival Coastal Carolina Tuesday in their only appearance at Trask Coliseum during the month of December. Playing in front of the third-largest crowd for a women's basketball game in arena history, the Seahawks shot a blistering 50.0 percent (27-of-54) from the floor and a season-high 71.4 percent (15-of-21) from the free-throw line. UNCW also held a considerable advantage on the boards.

"We were able to do the things that we talked about in the pre-game that the team would need to do in order to be successful against Coastal Carolina," said UNCW Head Coach Ann Hancock. "We had a balanced scoring attack, we out-rebounded them by a considerable margin and we did a good job in the first half of taking care of the basketball. I also felt that we were the most mentally prepared we've been all season. The girls understood what we wanted to do and why we were doing it and executed the game plan."  

Ohio brings a 3-6 mark into Thursday's tilt following a 52-50 loss at Duquesne on Sunday. Senior guard Jenny Poff, a Michigan State transfer, leads the Bobcats in scoring (10.1) while sophomore guard Da'Keisha Mann (8.9) and senior guard Jennifer Bushby (8.3) compliment the Ohio attack. Kamille Buckner paces the team's effort on the glass (6.8) while Mann (5.6) and Bushby (5.4) are both pulling down more than five rebounds per game.  Freshman guard Ashley Fowler quarterbacks the Bobcats attack as she has dished out a team-best 27 assists while Buckner has rejected a league-best 18 blocks shots. 

"Ohio will present a lot of challenges for us," said Hancock. "They are a very athletic team that pressures the basketball and looks to make you work the basketball up the court. We must value the basketball and make sure that we do not turn the ball over, especially in situations where they will be able to get numbers in transition and possibly get easy baskets. This game will be good for us in the fact that they play a similar style to both High Point and Coastal Carolina, so hopefully we'll be able to use that experience to our advantage.

Thursday's game marks the fourth meeting between the two programs. UNCW trails Ohio in the all-time series by a 2-1 margin as the Bobcats won the first two meetings before the Seahawks took the last matchup, 60-55, on Dec. 18, 2005 in Wilmington. The two teams have played each other extremely close as all three meetings have been decided by five points or less. Ohio was victorious in the only previous meeting between the two schools in Athens, posting a 71-67 decision over UNCW at the Convocation Center on Dec. 29, 2004.

The two teams had a chance to meet last season in the championship/consolation round of the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic, but UNCW defeated Fordham, 53-48, and Ohio fell to South Carolina 43-34 in the first round to prevent the matchup.

UNCW continues its five-game roadswing Sunday with its second straight contest against a member of the Mid-American Conference as they take on Kent State in a 5 p.m. contest at the M.A.C. Center.