UNION, N.J. (12/30/13) – Four Cougars were in double figures as the Kean University women's basketball team held off a pesky Centenary College squad 78-72 on Monday. It was the final action of the calendar year for bother sides. Stephanie Carlone scored 20 points – including six shots from behind the arc – and Simone Smith added a double-double (15 points/13 rebounds) for Kean.

Centenary played with the advantage for most of the first half, but a 14-4 run by the Cougars beginning at 6:17 of the first changed the course of the game. A midcourt one-on-one steal by Shay Collins led to a breakaway lay-up at the 3:37 mark, which finally flipped the lead back to Kean. It was the first lead for the Cougars since Carlone (pictured left) hit a three-pointer five seconds off the opening tip.

 Smith was 5-of-6 from the floor in the first half for a team-leading 11 points at the break. Kean forced 14 Cyclone turnovers in the first half and was beginning to make things more difficult for Centenary on the offensive side with soft full-court pressure defense.

Despite getting out-rebounded, Kean dominated points in the paint (30-12) and second-chance points (7-0) in the opening period.

As the second half began it seemed as though Kean may run away with the game. Kenya Adams made an incredible reverse layup while getting fouled at the 9:40 mark to put the Cougars up by 19. Kean pushed its lead all the way to 21 before the Cyclones mounted a comeback.

Ally Fugnitti (18 pts.), Mallory George (16 pts.) and Kelsey Barofski (14 pts.) led the charge for Centenary, which was aided by the Cyclone's 32-17 advantage in free throw attempts; the Cougars were whistled for 14 second-half fouls.

Centenary closed the gap to three, but a second-chance three-pointer by Carlone doubled the Cougar lead and a coast-to-coast layup by Jazmine Davis forced the Cyclones to call timeout with two minutes to go. Kean made enough free throws down the stretch to finally put away Centenary and even its record at 5-5. The Cyclones are now 4-6.

Davis and Adams were the other Cougars in double figures, with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Kean led the game in rebounding (46-38), turnovers (26-20) and blocks (4-0) and had a whopping 50 points in the paint.

Kean will host the Gothic Knights of New Jersey City University in an NAJC contest on Saturday at 3 p.m. inside Harwood Arena.