TRIO OF COUGARS EARN ALL-NJAC ACCOLADES

PITMAN, N.J. (2/22/07) - Sophomore guard Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.) earned New Jersey Athletic Conference Women's Basketball First-Team Honors and led a trio of Kean University players named to the all-conference squad, as announced by the conference on Thursday morning.

Junior forward Chari' Cooper (Paulsboro, N.J.) and sophomore guard Ebony Jackson (Newark, N.J.) each earned Second-Team honors after the Cougars finished the regular season 22-3 overall, 11-2 in the NJAC.

Beyruti leads the team and the conference in both scoring (18.0 points per game) and three-point field goals made (90/3.60 per game). The 2005-06 NJAC Rookie of the Year also ranks third in the conference in both assists (3.52 per game), free throw percentage (60-of-74/.811) and assist to turnover ratio (1.24), while also ranking fourth in steals (2.64 per game) and three-point field goal percentage (90-of-259/.347).

The school record holder in every three-point shooting category, Beyruti broke the single-game, single season and career records this year. Against Rutgers-Camden on January 24, Beyruti drained nine-three-pointers en-route to a career-high 33 points. In that game, she also broke her own single-season record of 63 set last season as a freshman. In the team's second game against Rutgers-Camden to close out the regular season, Beyruti broke the career-record of 152 as just a sophomore.

Cooper earns second-team honors for the third straight year, as she led the team and conference in rebounding (11.1 per game). The 2004-05 NJAC Rookie of the Year was named NJAC and ECAC Player of the Week twice this season. She had 20 or more rebounds four times this season, including three of the last four games of the regular season.

For the season, Cooper averaged 9.6 points per game and her 50.6 field goal percentage ranks second in the conference. She also ranked fourth in the NJAC in blocked shots (32/1.33 [per game).

Jackson earns her first all-conference selection after leading the NJAC in assists (131/5.24 per game) and assist to turnover ratio (1.64). The floor leader for the last two seasons as point guard, Jackson chipped in with 9.7 points per game and hit exactly half of her shots (96-of-192) to rank third in the conference.

The top seed for the South Division in the NJAC Playoffs, the Cougars square off against The College of New Jersey for the fourth time this season on Thursday, February 22, in the NJAC Semifinals. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.