With the women’s basketball team’s tough early season games out of the way, each of the seven games over winter break are a must win – and a likely win – for a team off to a disappointing 3-4 start.

The women play George Mason Dec. 20. The outcome will help gauge the team’s standing heading into conference play, because the teams are similar in makeup, schedule and record. Both teams lost to Georgetown and defeated Hartford.

After GMU, the women head to Malibu, Calif., for the Pepperdine Holiday Classic. GW will face Oklahoma State and either Pepperdine or Brown universities in the second game. In three weeks, the Colonials open conference play against two of the Atlantic 10’s weakest teams, La Salle (4-2) and Fordham (5-2), in what should be confidence builders leading up to the Colonials biggest game, Xavier on Jan. 13.

The Musketeers kept GW from winning the A-10 Tournament last season.

The Musketeers lost four of their starters to graduation and are off to a losing start (3-4).