Beyruti, Cooper Lead Cougars to Legg Mason
Winter Classic Title
STEVENSON, Md. (1/6/07) - Junior guard
Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.) scored 20
points on the strength of six three-pointers and senior center
Chari' Cooper (Paulsboro, N.J.) 
grabbed 20 rebounds to lead the Kean University women's basketball
team to a 72-45 victory over host Villa Julie College in the
championship game of the Legg Mason Winter Classic on Sunday
afternoon.
Beyruti earned most valuable player honors for the
13th ranked Cougars (11-1), while Cooper (pictured
right) earned a spot on the all-tournament team following her
eighth double-double of the season.
Kean sprinted out to a 19-0 lead in the first 6:16 of the game
behind six points from rookie Tiffany Patrick (Piscataway,
N.J.) and held the host Mustangs (3-9) scoreless for more
than seven minutes to open the game. The Cougars led by as
many as 20 points on three separate occasions before taking a
17-point advantage into halftime with the 37-20 lead.
Cooper controlled the boards in the first half, as she led the
Cougars with 14 rebounds and nine points at the break.
Patrick chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds, while
sophomore guard Cardiss Jackman (Tobyhanna, Pa.)
tallied seven points.
For the Mustangs, point guard Tonia Cristino (Lancaster,
Pa.) led the team with 11 points in the opening half.
In the opening 4:15 of the second half, the Cougars knocked down
four three-pointers, including three from Beyruti, to quickly build
a 25-point lead (49-24). Villa Julie cut the deficit to 15
points (51-36) with just over eight and a half minutes remaining,
before five straight points from Cooper quickly built the lead back
to 20 points.
Kean extended the lead to as many as 28 points twice before winning
their sixth straight game with the 27-point victory.
Cooper finished with 18 points to go alongwith her game-high 20
rebounds, while Patrick grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and
scored eight points. Jackman (pictured left) finished with 12
points and five rebounds, and junior guard Ebony Jackson
(Newark, N.J.) posted her second straight game with seven
assists.
Mustang freshman forward Kristen Steiner (Forest Hill,
Md.) led the team with 12 points, while Denita
Brown (Laurel, Md.) and Cristino each finished with 11
points apiece.
The Cougars return to New Jersey Athletic Conference action on
Wednesday, January 9, when they travel to Rutgers-Camden.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
