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Feb. 7, 2010 Game Notes | Live Audio | Video: Batchelor Speech GREENSBORO, N.C. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball team (8-11, 5-4 MEAC), matches up with MEAC-leading North carolina A&T Monday at 4:30 p.m., at the Corbett Sports Center on ESPNU. The Lady Hawks were 2-1 in televised games, last season, but fell to Coppin State in their only apperance on "The U," 59-57, at home on Feb. 1, 2009. UMES topped both Morgan State (68-58) on Dec. 30 and Howard (54-49) on Feb. 7 on the Heritage Sports Network in 2008-09. LAST TIME OUT: April McBride recorded 20 points to lead three starters in double figure as UMES rolled over Norfolk State, 76-56, Saturday. Chena Parker notched he third career double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Amber Cook tallied a career-high 16 points to help the Lady Hawks snap a two-game losing skid. UMES jumped out to an 11-0 lead and held a 33-21 advantage at the break. NSU cut the margin to 11 with less than 15 minutes to play but the visitor put the game away with a 20-11 run over the next 10 minutes. SCOUTING N.C. A&T: The Lady Aggies come into Monday's contest with the highest team scoring average in the conference, at just over 70 points per game. NCAT also boasts the highest field-goal percentage in the MEAC (41.9), 3-Point percentage (34.4), assists (14), blocked shots (3.5), and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.8). the team ranks in the top three in free-throw percentage (69), rebounding defense (36.8), offensive rebounding (15.3), and 3-pointers made (five). Ta'Wuana Cook is the team's leading scorer and is fifth in the MEAC (15.1 points per game). LaMona Smalley is its top rebounder and is tied for sixth in the conference (7.4). Smalley is also the league leader in field-goal percentage (59.2). Amber Calvin is the MEAC's second-leading free-throw shooter (83.3) and is second on the team in scoring (10.7).
UMES-NORTH CAROLINA A&T ALL-TIME SERIES: Monday's meet between the UMES and NCAT will be the 61st in history. The Lady Aggies hold a 36-24 advantage in the all-time series dating back to the 1982-83 season. The last UMES win the series was in the 2006-07 season at the Hytche Center on Feb. 3, 2007. The Lady Hawks won that game by a score of 65-60. North Carolina A&T knocked UMES out of the MEAC Tournament in the semifinals last March 13 (74-56) on its way to the conference crown. MCBRIDE REACHES 1,500-POINT PLATEAU: With her layup with 18:07 to play in the first half Saturday, senior April McBride tallied her 1,500th career point at Norfolk State to make the score 7-0. The New Rochelle, N.Y., native now has 1,518 which is second all-time to 1999 UMES Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Monica Felder (`88) who finished her four years at the school with over 2,000 points. LADY HAWKS IMPROVING DEFENSIVELY: As of Jan. 31, UMES ranked 145th out of 332 NCAA Division I teams in scoring defense at 62.2 points per game. UMES is also 179th in field-goal percentage defense (39.6) and is fifth in the MEAC in the category. On the other side of the coin, UMES has been outscored by an average of 3.2 points a game, which is 219th nationally. In the season-opening loss at UMBC, the Retrievers made 14 3-point shots, which is the 17th-best total in Division I to date. UMES CONTROLLING THE BOARDS: UMES is third in the MEAC in rebounding margin, outrebounding the opposition by 2.2 boards per game. The Lady Hawks trail only Howard and North Carolina A&T in that category in the conference. UMES is 122nd in the country, according to the latest national statistics and are 6-3 this season when holding a rebounding edge. HEAD OF THE CLASS: As of Feb. 7, senior April McBride is leading all MEAC seniors in rebounding. McBride is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game which is good for fourth overall in the conference. She is averaging 3.3 offensive rebounds per game which is fourth best in the league and is also third in the MEAC in defensive rebounding (5.2 per game). SANDERS MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT: Redshirt freshman forward Chelsea Sanders is second on the Lady Hawks in scoring after 19 games at 11.1 points per game, ranking her 11th in the MEAC. Sanders is averaging 1.1 3-pointers made per game and is 11th in the conference in that category while currently being 12th in 3-point percentage (24). MCBRIDE AMONG MEAC LEADERS: In addition to Sanders' solid numbers, April McBride is fourth in scoring average with 16.0 points per game. McBride is eighth in field-goal percentage at 45.8 percent as well as ninth in free-throw percentage at 74.4 percent. She is also 10th in blocks per game (0.8). Finally, McBride is fifth in the MEAC in steals at 2.2 per game. TWENTY-FIFTH CAREER 20-POINT GAME: In scoring 20 points against Norfolk State on Feb. 6, April McBride registered the 25th 20-point scoring effort of her career at UMES. Last season, she recorded 10 20-point games. During her sophomore campaign, she notched eight 20-point games and in her first year at UMES she had one 20-point effort. AGBASI'S BLOCK PARTY: Sophomore Adobi Agbasi leads UMES with 20 blocked shots in just games played this season. The Columbusm Ga., product missed the first six games of the season with a shoulder injury, but since returning to the lineup, she has posted three of the top six single-game blocks records in the MEAC this season. Agbasi earned her first career start at Norfolk State on Feb. 6 and responded with a season-high five swats in 29 minutes. The five blocks are the top single-game mark in the conference to date. MORTON WORKING HARD FOR THE LADY HAWKS: NBA statistics guru Harvey Pollack, inventor of numerous basketball statistical categories, maintains what he calls the "working man's stat," which is when a player records at least one of every statistical category in the box score. In the season-opener at UMBC, junior Casey Morton achieved a working woman's stat. She was: 2-of-10 from the field; 1-of-7 from three-point land; 7-of-10 at the line; had one offensive rebound; three defensive rebounds; 12 points; one assist; one block; three steals.McBride joined the club against American on Jan. 4. She was: 4-of-11 from the field; 3-of-4 from 3-point land; 3-of-4 from the line; one offensive rebound; six defensive rebounds; 14 points; two assists; two blocks; four steals. PROTECTING THE HYTCHE CENTER The Lady Hawks have managed a winning record at home the last seven years. Overall, UMES is 50-36 at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center since the 2002 campaign. For comparison, the Hawks are 39-50 on the road since the 2002 season. In 2007, the Lady Hawks had nine wins at home. Since Fred Batchelor's arrival on campus, the Lady Hawks 38-26 at home. The Hawks won their final two games last season at home. MORTON: 231 AND COUNTING: Casey Morton tied a career-high with seven assists for the second time this season against N.C. Central on Jan. 27. She ranks seventh in the conference, averaging 2.9 dimes per game and has 56 total this season. Morton has recored at least five helpers in three of the last four games UMES AFTER A WIN SINCE 2002-03 SEASON: The Lady Hawks come into action with a record of 58-31 (.651) following a win since the 2002-03 season. UMES is 2-4 after a win this season. The best record the team posted in that span was in 2007-08 when it was 12-4. UMES AFTER A LOSS SINCE 2002-03 SEASON With the Lady Hawks' win against Norfolk State Saturday, they improved to 41-66 (.383) following a loss since the 2002-03 season. UMES is 6-5 after a loss this season. The best record the team posted in that span was in 2005-06 when it was 7-5. THREE IN A ROW?: The Lady Hawks are hoping for their third straight winning season under head man Fred Batchelor. UMES finished 15-14 last season and went 17-13 the year prior. Since 1983-84, the Lady Hawks have never had three straight winning seasons. MCBRIDE NAMED TO MEAC PRESEASON FIRST TEAM: Senior April McBride was named to the Preseason MEAC First Team, as voted upon by conference head coaches and sports information directors. McBride has led the Lady Hawks in scoring and rebounding in each of her three seasons at UMES. McBride was named First Team All-MEAC following her sophomore and junior seasons. HAWKS PICKED SECOND IN MEAC: Conference head coaches and SIDs voted UMES second in the preseason behind predicted league- champion North Carolina A&T. The jump is a dramatic one for the Hawks, who were predicted to finish sixth in the MEAC last season. In 2007, the Hawks were picked to finish seventh in the league. DOWNTOWN DIFFICULTIES: The Lady Hawks are having trouble connecting from 3-point range through 19 games. UMES is shooting just 24.4 percent (71-for-291) from beyond the arc, which is ninth in the conference. The statistic is especially troubling considering that UMES is taking 27 percent of its shots from 3-point range. UMES hit 2-of-9 from beyond the arc versus Iona and just 1-of-8 against Delaware State. The Lady Hawks followed that up with a 3-of-18 showing against Mississippi Valley State and were 1-of-11 versus Georgia State.UMES attempted a season-high 40 3-pointers at UMBC (9-for-40). LAST TIME OUT AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA A&T: MEAC Player of the Year Brittanie Taylor-James scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting and Jaleesa Sams grabbed a 10 rebounds as North Carolina A&T dispatched UMES in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament, 74-56, at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. April McBride led UMES with 14 points and Casey Morton chipped in 10 and a team-high-tying six boards. Jasmine Speed hit a three in the first minute to UMES its only lead of the day at 3-0. HAWKS COME AT YOU IN WAVES: Of the 15 players that have seen the floor this season, 10 are averaging more than 10 minutes per game. Six players are averaging at least 15 minutes per contest and five players are averaging at least 20 minutes per game. No UMES player is averaging more than April McBride's 30.7 per night. MCBRIDE: CENTURY WOMAN: Senior April McBride played her 100th career game at Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 18. As one of only two seniors on this year's squad McBride will be the only UMES player achieve the feat in 2009-10. Junior Casey Morton should reach the milestone next season, having played 77 career games. MAGIC MAN RETURNS AS COACH: After graduating from UMES in 2008, Richard "Magic" Ashley returns as a graduate assistant coach for the Lady Hawks in 2009-10. He previously worked for the team from 2006-08 as the student assistant and the assistant strength and conditioning coach. Following graduation, he was the top assistant coach for the William Penn High School boy's varsity squad, helping guide the team to a state title. SENIOR MCBRIDE RETURNS TO ANCHOR HAWKS: Senior April McBride is one of the top returnees in the MEAC. She paced the 2008-09 Hawks in scoring (16.2) and rebouning (8.6). McBride ranked fifth in the MEAC in scoring and third in rebounding. She also finished eighth in the conference in field-goal percentage (42.9), third in free-throw percentage (79.1), tied for 12th in the league in steals (1.6) and fifth in blocks (1.2). McBride scored in double figures in 22 of the 25 games she played in. McBride led the Hawks in scoring in 17 games last season. She poured in a career-best 29 points against Morgan State on Jan. 31. MORTON IS BACK: Every star needs a compliment and thats exactly what Casey Morton provides for McBride. Morton was the second leading scorer last season, averaging 11.0 points per game. Morton appeared in all 29 games and was in the starting lineup for 28 of the contests. Morton connected on 38 3-pointers, second most on the team behind Tiffany Reid (42). Morton proved to be an excellent fascilitator, leading the Hawks with 90 assists. She also led the team in steals with 47 last season. Two years ago, during his freshman campaign, she was named the MEAC Rookie of the Year. THIRTY-EIGHT GAMES IN TWO YEARS IN DOUBLE DIGITS: Senior April McBride scored in double figures in 38 games over the last two seasons. She has scored in double figures in 80 games in her three-plus years at UMES. Casey Morton is second in career double-figure games with 45.Morton tallied a season-high 16 points in UMES first win of the season against Delaware State. REBOUNDING PROWESS FROM THE GUARD SPOT Casey Morton proved last season that she is one of the best rebounding guards in the MEAC. At 5-foot-9, Morton ranked second on the Hawks last season, averaging 3.9 boards per game. She totaled 113 rebounds. During the 2007-08 campaign, Morton totaled 107 rebounds (3.7). In the season-opening loss at UMBC, Morton pulled a season-best six boards against Delaware State. BOMBS AWAY FROM BEYOND THE ARC: UMES attempted 602 3-pointers last season. For comparison, the Hawks' opponents attempted just 307 long balls. It is interesting to note that Tiffany Reid (141) and Josephine McLane (138), who are not on the 2009-10 roster, attempted the most from beyond the arc. Casey Morton was third in attempts with 124. The Hawks' opponents (.308) had a better 3-point percentage than UMES (.284). In the season-opening loss at UMBC, the Lady Hawks fired 40 3-pointers in 40 minutes, connecting on nine (22.5 percent). LADY HAWKS HURT ON BOARDS: UMES was badly outrebounded against UMBC, allowing the Retrievers to pull in 54 boards while totaling only 38. April McBride pulled down a team-high eight boards. It was the first time the Lady Hawks had been outrebounded by 10 or more since February of last season, when Florida A&M won the battle on the glass, 45-34. NEXT UP FOR UMES: UMES returns home next Saturday (Feb. 13) to take on Lady Rattlers of Florida A&M at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center at 2 p.m. UMES topped FAMU, 47-43, at the Al lawson Center in Tallahassee, Fla., on Jan. 16. |
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