Men's Basketball Rally Falls Short, 96-89

POMONA, N.J. (2/10/07) - Senior guard Bryan Keller (Piscataway, N.J.) connected on 6-of-8 three-pointers and scored a team-high 24 points, however it wasn't enough, as the Kean University men's basketball team dropped a 96-89 decision to host Richard Stockton College in New Jersey Athletic Conference South Division action on Saturday afternoon.

For the Ospreys (17-7, 8-4 NJAC), Joe Albano (Williamstown, N.J.) sank five three-pointers and scored a career-high 30 points to lead Richard Stockton to its fourth consecutive win.

With two games left to play, the Cougars (13-10, 4-7 NJAC) are tied in the win column with The College of New Jersey for the third and final playoff spot in the South Division. The Lions have one NJAC game remaining against Rutgers-Camden, while the Cougars host Rowan University before closing out the regular season at Rutgers-Camden.

Stockton shot a blistering 11-15 (73.3%) from three-point range and led by as much as 24 points in a first half that ended with Ospreys on top 52-31.

In the second half, Richard Stockton extended their lead to as many as 27 points (70-43) with 12:09 left in the game. The Cougars used a 22-4 run to pull within single digits (74-65) with 7:39 remaining, as Keller had three three-pointers in the run and senior guard Bryan Miller (Trenton, N.J.) added seven points. The Cougars would pull as close as five points at 91-86 with just 28 seconds to go on a three-point play by sophomore guard Karwana Palmer (East Orange, N.J.), however Albano sank 5-of-6 free throws to seal the victory.

For the Cougars, Wright shot 11-14 at the line and finished with 20 points, while Miller and junior guard William Floyd (Eustis, Fla.) netted 11 points apiece for the Cougars.

The Cougars host Rowan University in the final home regular season game on Wednesday, February 14, at 8 p.m.