UMES CONTINUES ROAD TRIP WITH GAME AGAINST TOWSON

UMES CONTINUES ROAD TRIP WITH GAME AGAINST TOWSON
DAVE VATZ 12/12/2011

Lady Hawks looking for first ever win over Tigers

TOWSON, Md. - The Lady Hawks will head back across the Bay Bridge to take on in- state foe Towson for a 7:00 p.m. game on Tuesday at the Towson Center Arena. This will be their third road contest in a row and third game against a team from the state of Maryland. UMES is looking to snap a two-game losing streak plus its first win ever against the Tigers.

- LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Hawks took on their first ranked opponent in five years on Sunday, falling to #17 Penn State 76-51 in University Park. UMES kept pace with the Lady Lions, taking an 18-17 lead after a Sha-Kiyla Finney three at the 13:04 mark. The Lady Hawks stayed within one possession for most of the first half. Penn State took a 10- point lead into halftime, staying around that mark for the first four minutes until a 6-0 run. Two Lady Hawks nearly earned double-doubles: Amber Cook scored 12 points with nine boards while Shanyce Stewart finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. Maggie Lucas led PSU with 20 points and Nikki Greene went 6-6 from the field for 13 points, adding three blocks and four rebounds.

- SERIES HISTORY: Towson leads the all-time series against UMES 9-0, including winning three games at home. Last season, the two teams played for the first time since 2004 at the Hytche Athletic Center, with the Tigers taking a 61-50 win. Kwinnyata Mercer led UMES with 21 points off the bench, while Chena Parker nearly had a double- double with 10 points, nine rebounds. Krystal Parnell led the Tigers with 17 points off 6- 10 shooting.
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SCOUTING THE TIGERS: Towson is off to a 7-2 start, beginning at 1-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Tigers are currently on a three-game winning streak with victories over James Madison, Coppin State and St. Francis (NY). Senior point guard Krystal Parnell leads the Tigers in scoring with 11.7 points a game, adding four assists per contest. Nyree Williams, transfer from North Carolina, nearly averages a double-double with nine points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

COACH BATCHELOR APPROACHING 100TH UMES WIN: With the Lady Hawks winning two games so far this season, coach Fred Batchelor is just three wins away from

reaching his 100th win with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, currently standing at 97-114 in his eight seasons. This will make Coach Batchelor the first in UMES women's basketball history to reach that milestone.

NO-SCORE ZONE: UMES is allowing just 54.5 points per game , standing in the top-50 in the country and second in the MEAC after last weekend's games. Three UMES opponents, Canisius, American and Delaware State, all scored less than 43 points.

SANDERS LEADING THE TEAM: Redshirt junior forward Chelsea Sanders has led the Lady Hawks in scoring five of her seven games to start the season, earning double figures in the first six UMES contests. So far, Sanders has totaled 95 points, averaging 13.6 points a contest. Against UMBC last Tuesday, Sanders shot 7-11 to match a career high 22 points.

AGBASI APPROACHING 150 CAREER BLOCKS: With three blocks against Penn State, Adobi Agbasi is just six blocks away from reaching the 150-mark in her career. This season Agbasi has 13 blocks, averaging a Division I 48th-ranked 2.2 per game. Th senior center has gotten at least a block in all six games she has played.

STEWART CLEANS UP THE GLASS: In her first seven games, Shanyce Stewart has tallied double-digit rebounds four times. Currently she leads the team with 7.7 rebounds a game, standing seventh in the MEAC in that category.