Women's Basketball Nips Baruch in Overtime,
86-81
UNION, N.J. (2/5/07) – Sophomore Melissa Beyruti (Union
City, N.J.) led the Cougars with 21 points, including the tying
trey in overtime as Kean University defeated Baruch College, 86-81,
Monday evening at Harwood Arena.
Junior Dominique McClendon (Chicago, Ill.) led the Bearcats (16-7)
with a double-double 23 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
Baruch trailed late in the second half, but battled back to tie the
game at 72 with just under 30 seconds remaining as senior Jody
Trapp (New Rochelle, N.Y.) nailed an open three-pointer. The
Cougars (19-3) left time on the clock for just one shot that fell
wide, forcing the game into overtime.
The Bearcats took an early lead in the overtime period, but Kean
took the lead for good with just 12 seconds remaining as Kim Smith
(Burlington, N.J.) drilled a jumper off an assist by Ebony Jackson
(Newark, N.J.).
The Cougars led for much of the first half, but Baruch kept close,
trailing by no more than nine. Beyruti led Kean with 14 first half
points, while Jackson chipped in with 10. McClendon led the
Bearcats with nine points and seven rebounds while senior Ally
Stamatiades (Astoria, N.Y.) recorded seven.
Kean never trailed in the second half, but Baruch battled on
forcing seven ties, the most critical in the final minute of
regulation. Stamatiades picked up 10 second half points for Baruch
while Chari' Cooper (Paulsboro, N.J.) contributed with 10
rebounds for the Cougars.
On the evening, Cooper finished with a double-double 11 points and
20 rebounds, while Jackson registered 16 points and eight rebounds
in Kean's first overtime contest this season. Freshman
Cardiss Jackman (Tobyhanna, Pa.) recorded 14 points and Smith
finished with 11 to round out the double-digit scoring for the
Cougars.
Chiresse Paradise (Chicago, Ill.) recorded 11 points while
Stamatiades finished the night with 19 in the loss for Baruch.
Kean will head to the road as they take on Richard Stockton College
in a pivotal NJAC match-up on Saturday, February 10th, beginning at
2 p.m.
