Cougars Hit School-Record 12 Treys in 106-67 Victory

UNION, N.J. (11/20/07) - Junior guard Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.) scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Kean University women's basketball team to a 106-67 victory over Lehman College on Tuesday evening.

Beyruti hit all seven of her three pointers and the Cougars connected on a school-record 12 three-pointers, as Kean (3-0) had the team's highest point total since scoring 109 points against FDU-Florham on December 13, 2003.

The Cougars opened the game on an 18-4 run, as Kean hit all four of its three-pointers in the opening five minutes of action.  Kean pushed the lead out to 28 points at 46-18 with just over two minutes to play on a jumper by junior guard Ebony Jackson (Newark, N.J.) before taking a 48-21 lead into halftime. 

Beyruti hit all three of three-point attempts in the first half as she led the team with 11 points, while sophomore guard Cardiss Jackman (Tobyhanna, Pa.) added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.  Senior center Chari' Cooper (Paulsboro, N.J.) had seven rebounds, five points and four steals and Jackson chipped in with eight points and five assists.

For Lehman (2-1), junior forward Monique Sampson (Bronx, N.Y.) led the Lightning with four points, five rebounds and two assists, while senior guard Kimberly Kelly (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added four points and four rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of action.

In the second half, the Cougars led by at least 25 points the entire half and were up by as many as 43 points when they reached 100 points (100-57) en-route to the 39-point victory.

Jackman finished with a career-high 17 points, hitting 7-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-4 from long range.  Cooper added her third straight double-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds and a game-high seven steals, while Jackson added 10 points and eight assists. 

Sophomore forward Ali Fontan (West Milford, N.J.) hit 5-of-7 shots from the floor for a career-high 11 points and rookie Angelica Bermudez (Belleville, N.J.) had 11 rebounds and four blocks in her first career start.

For Lehman, Nnamani finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots to lead four Lightning players in double-figures.  Sampson had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds to go along with five steals, while Kelly chipped in with 13 points and senior guard Tiara Carroll (Bronx, N.Y.) added 11 points and six rebounds.

The Cougars return to action after a week-long break and host John Jay College on November 28, at 6 p.m.