TOWSON, Md. - Seven seconds.

Think of all you can get done in seven seconds. Perhaps you can take your coat off the rack, get both arms in the sleeves and put on a pair of gloves.

Maybe, just maybe, mind you, you could get a pair of socks on, but the list is as admittedly brief as the time period itself.

However, if you think about it, you can make a lot of magic in just seven seconds. Or less if you're Krystal Parnell.

Given roughly seven seconds to get from one end of the court to the other last Thursday against Loyola, Parnell, a 5-foot-6 senior guard, not only got there, but hit a lay-up that won the game by a slim 56-54 margin. It continued the Tiger women's basketball team's enchanting early season run and extended Towson's current win streak to six games and improved the team's record to 10-2.

By her reckoning, Thursday marked the first time in her basketball life that Parnell, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native, has hit a game-winning shot.

'“It's a great feeling to win and to make the basket,” said Parnell. “My teammates came and gave me high fives and hugged me and so did the coaches.

“It's a great feeling because I'm sharing it with one of the teams that I enjoy playing with in my basketball career," she added. "I love this team like they're sisters. I'm doing whatever I can for them (whether) it's a steal or making a basket. I do all the things, whatever I need to do, and I bring it to this team.”

Parnell, in her second season at Towson after starting her collegiate career at Monroe (N.Y.) Community College, is rounding out her game, boosting her scoring average from 10.5 points per game last season to the current 12.8 points per contest. During the Tigers' win streak, Parnell is averaging nearly 15 points per game.

“On the court, there's no doubt in my mind that whatever happens, my coaches and teammates are behind me,” said Parnell. “And that takes a lot of pressure off me and makes me play my game the way I like to play it.”

The increased scoring output is in keeping with the vow that Parnell and her four fellow seniors took before the season to exert more leadership, spurred by newcomer and sophomore Nyree Williams.

As a result, Parnell's more vocal and less afraid to take control when the situation demands it.

“We've set a standard for our freshmen, so that down the line, when they become sophomores and juniors and seniors, they can also relay the same message back to the freshmen and sophomores who are coming in after them,” said Parnell.

“Our roles have changed and for the better," she added. "It's not just Nyree that's speaking. Sometimes, it's me, it's Sheree (Ledbetter), it's Krystin (Fields) or Meredith (Kennedy) or Deree (Fooks). It's different seniors that can step up and give positive advice.”

As the calendar turns to 2012 and the heart of the Colonial Athletic Association schedule, additional leadership and increased floor output will be critical for Parnell and the rest of the seniors.

They'll get an important test right off the bat Thursday night as they travel to Newark, Del. for a meeting with No. 21 Delaware (10-1), the CAA preseason favorite.

The Blue Hens, led by All-America candidate Elena Delle Donne, will present Towson's most formidable opposition of the new year.

But, the Tigers have already faced down defending champion James Madison and a win over Delaware would certainly serve notice that Towson will be a force to be reckoned with through the conference season.

“It's going to be a big challenge,” said Parnell. “They're ranked No. 1 in the CAA. It's going to be a war, but we're ready for it.”

The Blue Hens had better have things sewn up before the final seven seconds, as they've become Parnell's time.