Friday, January 08, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Tonight, the Atlantic Sun / CSS Games of the Week series begins with UNF traveling to Fort Myers, Fla. to face FGCU. In conjunction with the start of the package, the conference announced that Bright House Sports Network will carry all 12 of the men’s games as well as a pair of women’s games, increasing viewership in the state of Florida, including homes in and around DeLand, the home of Stetson University.

The UNF-FGCU game airs tape-delayed on Monday at 2:00 p.m. Later that night, Bright House Sports Network will carry live the “Battle of the Boulevard” showdown between Belmont and Lipscomb. In two other instances, fans can catch two A-Sun games in a single day. On Monday, Jan. 18, BHSN airs the Mercer-USC Upstate game from the previous Friday at noon with the “River City Rumble” game between UNF and Jacksonville airing live at 8:00 p.m. from the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, The final A-Sun “day-night” doubleheader takes place on Monday, Feb. 1 with a re-air of the Friday, Jan. 29 rematch between Jacksonville and UNF at 2:00 p.m. followed by FGCU heading north to square off with Mercer at 9:00 p.m.

"Bright House Sports Network is committed to local sports coverage,” BHSN General Manager Paul Kosuth said. "We are thrilled to partner with the Atlantic Sun Conference, airing more than a dozen NCAA Division One college basketball games. The tenacity that schools like Stetson, Jacksonville and Florida Gulf Coast University bring to the court provides exciting matchups."

Additional live men’s games include the Friday, Jan. 22 game when Stetson hosts Mercer at 9: 00 p.m. and the Friday, Feb. 19 contest when ETSU travels to Buies Creek, N.C. to face Campbell. At 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 22, the ETSU women host USC Upstate, seeking revenge from Monday afternoon’s loss in Spartanburg, S.C. as the final live broadcast from BHSN. The Stetson home women’s game with Campbell on Thursday, Feb. 4 airs the next day at 3:00 p.m.

The four remaining games in the package all air delayed. The return game between Lipscomb and Belmont, from the Bruins’ Curb Event Center, scheduled for Tuesday, Jan 26, airs one day later at 1:00 p.m. Belmont’s Friday, Feb. 5 meeting with Jacksonville airs on Monday, Feb. 8 at Noon and the Friday, Feb. 12 game with Kennesaw State and ETSU airs the following Monday, Feb. 15, also at noon. The final BHSN broadcast, the Saturday, Feb. 27 “A-Sun Hot Game” will air on Monday, March 1 at noon.

"We are absolutely committed to building a first class network over the long term, that our schools are proud to be a part of," said John T. Zarzycki, President of RMG LLC-Rights Marketing Group of Atlanta, Ga. "The distribution BHSN provides the Atlantic Sun Conference, in relevant markets in Florida is an outstanding compliment to our strategic plan. We appreciate working with the professionals at Bright House."

The addition of the Bright House Sports Network’s 1.6 million viewers boosts the total number of cable subscribers able to view Atlantic Sun action to more than nine million.

Fans can follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and on Facebook. Visit twitter.com/AtlanticSun to begin receiving updates on conference news, weekly awards, and from A-Sun championships. Atlantic Sun followers with a Facebook account can become a "fan" of the conference by visiting facebook.com/AtlanticSunConference.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Bright House Sports Network, the leader in local sports, is a 24-hour local sports network dedicated to sports fans in the Central Florida and Tampa Bay areas. We produce over 5,500 hours of local sports programming each year. Our strength is in our approach to covering local sports and the sports franchises that make up our communities. Bright House Sports Network provides a comprehensive and entertaining source of local sports news and programming.