Parker makes MTSU history in easy win

MURFREESBORO – Cheyenne Parker's career at MTSU will last just this season.

But after the performance she turned in Saturday against Texas-El Paso in Murphy Center, her name will be in the Lady Raiders' record books forever.

The 6-foot-4 transfer from High Point University recorded the first triple-double in program history as MTSU blew out UTEP 74-53 in front a crowd of 4,465 for its fifth straight win.

Parker finished with 18 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks in the victory, becoming just the second player in school history – men or women – to achieve the feat.

"It's an honor. I'm humbly grateful," Parker said. "The main thing I can say is I felt it coming. I knew it was going to come eventually but I didn't know when."

Parker was one block away from getting her first triple-double against Charlotte on Jan. 24 and just two blocks away from the feat in Thursday's win against Texas-San Antonio.

"I never do," Parker said when asked if she was thinking about it. "One of my teammates will say at a media timeout, 'Hey, two more blocks.' So, I'm like, 'OK, OK.'

"That's how I find out (if I'm close)."

MTSU men's basketball player Roni Bailey recorded the only other triple-double in school history on Dec. 3, 1994. He finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Lyon College.

It was the ninth triple-double in Conference USA women's basketball history and the first since last season. It was also the 16th triple double in NCAA Division I women's basketball this year.

Parker, the reigning United State Basketball Writers Association player of the week, played just nine minutes in the first half because of foul trouble before nearly getting the triple-double in the second half alone. She had 16 of her 18 points, 12 of 17 rebounds and eight of her 11 blocks in the final 20 minutes.

"Cheyenne has been right on the verge of doing that the last couple of games," MTSU coach Rick Insell said.

"That's big, that's big for her. That gives her a stat. She'll go in the record books."

Parker's performance overshadowed another stellar game from sophomore Olivia Jones. The former Riverdale star scored a game-high 31 points, just one shy of tying her career mark.

The forward, Conference USA's leading scorer (21.2 ppg) entering the contest, scored 10 of MTSU's first 12 points of the game en route to her 31, 17 of which came in the first half.

"My shots hadn't been falling," said Jones, who was the Lady Raiders' most aggressive player from the opening tip. "So I was like let me start crashing the boards and doing block-work first.

"That came, so I finally just let if come to me."

Jones added five rebounds and four steals on 13 of 31 shooting from the floor. It was a career-high in field goal attempts for her.

The Lady Raiders (14-5, 8-1 C-USA) opened the game with a 12-0 run and were never really threatened by the visiting Miners (8-10, 3-6), which lost their fifth straight contest.

UTEP did trim its deficit to eight at halftime (32-24) with a 12-3 run before the break but it never got any closer as MTSU pulled away easily in the final 15 minutes.

Sophomore point guard Ty Petty added 10 points for MTSU, while guard Brea Edwards finished with nine points on 3 of 8 shooting from behind the arc.

Senior guard Shanice Cason, a former Siegel High standout, matched her season high with eight assists. She also didn't commit a turnover.

Three players finished in double figures for UTEP, which was led by 14 from guard Sparkle Taylor. Taylor added 10 rebounds.

BOX SCORE

MTSU 74, UTEP 53

UTEP (8-10) – Kennedy 0-1 0-0 0, Gari 5-11 0-0 12, McKinney 1-9 3-4 5, Telles 0-1 0-0 0, Taylor 7-20 0-0 14, Miscenko 2-3 0-0 4, Dobrowolska 1-3 0-1 2, Kirsteine 1-4 0-0 3, Welles 0-3 0-0 0, McCants 5-12 3-4 13, Eduardo 0-2 0-0 0.

MTSU (14-5) – Parker 7-10 4-6 18, Cason 0-1 1-2 1, Edwards 3-8 0-0 9, Petty 4-4 0-2 10, Jones 13-31 3-4 31, Sissom 0-2 0-0 0, Sells 0-0 0-0 0, Reuter 0-0 0-0 0, Lyon 0-0 0-0 0, Dow 0-2 2-3 2, Porter 0-1 0-0 0, Warden 1-4 0-0 3.

Halftime: 32-24, MTSU. 3-pointer: UTEP 3-16 (Gari 2-3, McKinney 0-2, Taylor 0-4, Dobrowolska 0-2, Kirsteine 0-2, Welles 0-1, Eduardo 0-1); MTSU 8-29 (Edwards 3-8, Petty 2-2, Jones 2-13, Sissom 0-2, Dow 0-1, Warden 1-3). Rebounds: UTEP 43 (Taylor 10); MTSU 44 (Parker 17). Assists: UTEP 10 (McKinney 6); MTSU 22 (Cason 8). Fouls: UTEP 21; MTSU 11. Techinicals: None. Fouled out: None. Attendance: 4,465.

Contact Will Borthick at wborthick@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @willborthick.