Cooper Moves Into Third Place in NCAA Division
III History in Kean Loss
GLASSBORO, N.J. (2/23/08) - Senior center
Chari' Cooper (Paulsboro, N.J.) moved into third
place on the NCAA Division III career rebounding list, finishing
with her 17th double-double of the season, however the
#7/8 Kean University women's basketball team was upset by host
Rowan University, 78-75, in the New Jersey Athletic Conference
regular season finale on Saturday afternoon.
Junior guard Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.)
(pictured right) led the Cougars (22-3, 10-3) with a game-high 24
points, as defending conference champion Kean will look to defend
their NJAC championship from the second seed in the South
Division.
Cooper had 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, giving her
1,428 career boards and moving her into third place in NCAA
Division III history. She also is just 14 rebounds shy
of moving into 15th place NCAA all-time among Division
I, II and III history.
Senior guard Kristina Wallace (Logan Twp.,
N.J.) led the Profs (15-10, 7-6) with 23 points, seven
assists and four steals, as Rowan heads into the NJAC tournament as
the third seed in the South Division.
With just 3:11 left in the game, Kean took a six point lead at
73-67 following a three-pointer from junior guard Ebony
Jackson (Newark, N.J.). Rowan responded with eight
straight points to take a two point lead (75-73), capped off by a
three-point play by Wallace with just under two minutes remaining.
After Cooper tied the game up at 75-75 at the 56 second mark,
Rowan sophomore forward Jessica Nimbley (Middletown,
N.J.) gave Rowan the lead for good with a jumper with 38
seconds left. The Cougars had several opportunities on their
next possession to tie the game or take the lead, however they were
unable to convert and Prof junior Brynn DeGroff (Wildwood
Crest, N.J.) converted 1-of-2 foul shots for the
three-point advantage.
A final three-point attempt with three seconds left didn't fall
for the Cougars, and Kean finished the regular season with an
identical 22-3 record to last season's NJAC championship and Elite
Eight squad.
The Cougars built a 39-32 advantage at halftime, as Beyruti led
Kean with 12 points in the opening half. For Rowan, sophomore
forward Jillian Kane (Ridgefield Park, N.J.) had
10 points
The second half saw a Jackson layup extend the Cougar lead to as
many as 12 points (54-42) with 14:19 left. Rowan pulled
within two points at 63-61 on a three-pointer by Wallace with just
under eight minutes remaining before the Cougars extended the lead
back out to six points on three separate occasions, including the
final time with 3:11 left.
Beyruti knocked down five three pointers, moving her into a tie
for 21st place in NCAA Division III history with 251
career three-pointers.
Sophomore guard Cardiss Jackman (Tobyhanna,
Pa.) had 13 points, while Jackson (pictured left) finished
with 11 points, four assists and three steals.
Kane hit 8-of-12 from the floor and knocked down all five of her
free throws to score 23 points off the bench for the Profs.
The Cougars open defense of their NJAC title at home with an
opening round game against Rutgers-Newark on Monday, February
25. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to a
semifinal match-up against NJAC North Division top-seed William
Paterson University two days later.
