Women's Basketball Defeats Ramapo in NJAC Opener, 66-57

UNION, N.J. - (12/02/06) Sophomore guard Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.) scored a game-high 13 points and dished out four assists as the Cougars defeated Ramapo College, 66-57, in New Jersey Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon.

For Kean (5-0, 1-0 NJAC), junior forward Kim Smith (Burlington, N.J.) nearly had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, while Ramapo (1-4, 0-2 NJAC) was led by freshman center Beth Weinmann's (Pompton Plains, N.J.) double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Roadrunners stayed in the game on foul shooting, as Ramapo converted 28-of-38 free throws (73.7 percent), while the Cougars connected on just 14-of-29 foul shots (48.3 percent).

Ramapo took an early 12-6 lead, as senior guard Kelly Bartz (Madison, N.J.) scored five points and sophomore forward Tiffany China (West Orange, N.J.) added three points in the opening 7:21 of the contest. The Cougars answered back on a 10-4 run to tie the game on a three-pointer by Beyruti with just under 10 minutes left in the opening half.

The Cougars closed the half outscoring Ramapo 23-12 over the final 8:24 to take a 39-28 advantage in halftime. For Kean, Beyruti led the way with eight points, while Bartz and China combined for 13 first-half points.

In the second-half, the Roadrunners kept the Cougars within 10 points most of the half and pulled to within five points at 62-57 following a 6-0 run 1:40 remaining in the contest, however the Cougars scored the game's final four points to seal their first conference win of the season.

In the victory, senior forward Chi Clark (Maplewood, N.J.) had eight points and 10 rebounds, while freshman guard Colby Greenlee (Stroudsburg, Pa.) added eight points and two blocks. Sophomore guard Ebony Jackson (Newark, N.J.) chipped in with nine points for the Cougars.

For Ramapo, senior guard Keona Palmer (Port Reading, N.J.), China and Bartz each added 11 points, and junior guard Natasha Gross (Glen Rock, N.J.) had a game-high four steals.

The Cougars return to action on Wednesday, December 6, when they travel to Ewing, N.J., to take on defending NJAC champion The College of New Jersey at 6 p.m. Ramapo hosts Stevens Institute of Technology on the same evening at 6 p.m.