MORTON, PARKER SHINE IN UMES 64-60 LOSS TO AMERICAN
TYLER BIRNBAUM 1/02/11

Morton ties career high with 24; Parker collects fourth career double-double

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Casey Morton (Mardela Springs, Md.) tied her career high with 24 points and Chena Parker (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) notched a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds but American escaped the William P. Hytche Athletic Center with a 64-60 win over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball team Sunday.

Morton went 8-for-16 from the floor and 3-for-5 from 3-point range, adding five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the fifth straight loss for UMES (2-8). American (10-4) received 15 points from Lisa Strack and 14 from Liz Leer to earn their eighth victory in a row.

Parker's double-double, which came on 6-of-10 shooting and with eight defensive rebounds, was the first of the season for UMES and the fourth of her career.

A hot-shooting first half for both teams, it featured five ties and three lead changes.

UMES opened with the game's first four points for what would be its biggest lead of the day. Strack got the Eagles on the board with a 3-pointer 2:51 in. Morton then hit a fastbreak layup to make it 6-3 before Strack scored four more to give AU a one-point advantage.

Parker tallied three of next four for a 10-8 lead at the 12:21 mark. The teams traded baskets for the next three minutes until Leer hit a layup at the 8:09 mark to give AU a 19-17 lead that it wouldn't give up the rest of the way.

The Leer bucket sparked a 15-5 run that gave the Eagles its biggest margin of the half at 32-22 with 2:20 to play. Alexis Dobbs closed the spurt with a pair of free throws.

A Morton three and Parker layup cut it to a 32-27 game prior to another Dobbs jumper which sent AU into the break up, 34-27.

Both teams shot over 50 percent in the period. UMES was 55 percent from the floor on 11-for-20 shooting while American went 13-of-24, a 54.2 percent clip.

Nicole Ryan drained a 3-pointer midway through the second half as American built a 52-39 lead but UMES didn't go away, making it a four-point game on five different occasions. Sha-Kiyla Finney (Portsmouth, Va.) punctuated a 12-3 run over 7:08 with a trey from Jackson to cut the lead to 55-51 with 3:22 remaining.

The Lady Hawks had a chance to tie the game with 47 seconds left, 59-56, when Parker cleared the rebound of a Leer shot and got it to Finney, but her 3 drew iron and the Eagles hot five free throws down the stretch to ensure the win.

AU finished the game shooting 50 percent (22-of-44) and UMES shot 47.8 percent (22-for-46).

UMES dominated in the paint, holding a 32-18, lead, thanks in large part to Parker's effort.

UMES spends the next four games on the road, a stretch that begins with a Wednesday contest at Savannah State. Tip-off is 7 p.m.