#11 Kean Defeats #8 Messiah, 69-64
GRANTHAM, Pa. (1/19/08) - In a battle of
ranked, one-loss teams, the 11th ranked Kean University
women's basketball team defeated #8 Messiah College, 69-64, in a
rematch of last year's NCAA tournament second-round at Brubaker
Auditorium on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action.
For the second time in less than a year, the Cougars (15-1)
faced Messiah on the Falcons' home court, and each time Kean left
with a five-point victory. In March, the Cougars upended
Messiah (13-2) in the NCAA second round by a score of 89-84 to
advance to the Sweet Sixteen and eventually to the Elite
Eight.
Junior guards Melissa Beyruti (Union City,
N.J.) and Ebony Jackson (Newark, N.J.)
each scored 16 points, while senior center Chari' Cooper
(Paulsboro, N.J.) recorded her 48th career
double-double and 11th of the season with a game-high 14
rebounds and 14 points to extend the Cougars winning streak to 10
games.
For the Falcons, senior All-American Nikki Lobach
(Hanover, Pa.) finished with team-highs of 15 points and
seven rebounds.
Beyruti, who had scored 30 points and knocked down seven three
pointers in last year's match-up, looked on her way to equaling
that total in the first half, as the honorable mention all-american
finished with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the opening 20
minutes
The Cougars built an early 12-point lead (17-5) less than eight
minutes into the contest behind a balanced scoring attack.
Kean would eventually extend the lead to 15 points on a pair of
occasions before taking the 13-point advantage into halftime by a
score of 36-23.
In addition to Beyruti's 15 points, Cooper (pictured right)
added 10 rebounds and had five points in the opening half.
For Messiah, Lobach and Kourtney Elhi (Boiling Springs,
Pa.) each had six points in the first half.
The opening minutes of the second half saw the Cougars push the
lead out to 16 points on separate possessions, both on baskets by
rookie Angelica Bermudez (Belleville, N.J.) and
the last at 41-25 with 16:37 remaining in the contest.
A 12-2 run by the Falcons pulled the hosts to within six points
and Messiah would eventually tie the game and take a three-point
lead (54-51) on five straight points by junior forward
Ashley Brooks (Lancaster, Pa.) with just over
seven minutes remaining.
The Cougars withstood the run and regained the lead for good on
back-to-back baskets by Jackson (picturef left) with 6:12 left in
the game. Down the stretch, Cooper nailed 5-of-6 free throws
and Jackson converted 3-of-5 from the charity stripe to seal Kean's
10th straight victory.
Kean, who currently leads the nation in rebounding margin
(15.2), controlled the glass and finished with a 47-31 advantage on
the boards, including a 21-12 edge on offensive rebounds. The
Cougars held Messiah to just 35.2 percent shooting, however the
Falcons used a 23-of-27 performance from the foul line to stay in
the game, including 8-of-10 from Lobach.
In the victory, Bermudez finished with 10 rebounds, including
six offensive boards, and seven points, while classmate
Tiffany Patrick (Piscataway, N.J.) added eight
rebounds and six points.
The Cougars limited Lobach to just 3-of-11 shooting from the
floor, while Brooks had 14 points and six rebounds. Off the
bench, sophomore guard Julie Henninger (Carlisle,
Pa.) had 13 points and Ehli finished with 10 points.
Kean returns to New Jersey Athletic Conference action on
Wednesday, January 23, when the Cougars travel to Richard Stockton
College. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
