Union, N.J. (2/17/24) – Shahd Badeer recorded a double-double 15 points and 16 rebounds to lead the #3 Kean University women's basketball team to a 78-68 victory over #6 Rowan University in the opening round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Cougars (17-9) led wire-to-wire as all five starters finished in double-digits.

Kean jumped out to a 6-0 lead behind buckets from Brittany Graff and Badeer.  Rowan (12-14) pulled within one for their smallest deficit of the game as Nicole Mallard connected on a jumper in the paint (8-7). 

Both teams battled in the second stanza with Kean taking a double-digit lead on multiple occasions, but the Profs were able to chip away and close the gap to seven as Kate Herlihy drained a three with under a minute to go in the first half.

Kean pressed on the gas in the third quarter, outscoring Rowan 23-13, and taking their largest lead of the afternoon (62-41).

The Profs went on a 12-0 run in the final quarter and trimmed the deficit to single digits (67-59). 

The two teams then battled to the finish line with Kean scoring five in the final minute from the charity stripe to seal the win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Graff led all players with 17 points and added five rebounds and four steals.  Rookie Gigi Gamble registered 16 points and nine assists while fellow rookie Riley Ahrens contributed with 13 points and six rebounds.  Maya Edwards closed out the double-digit scoring with 12 points and three steals while playing 39 minutes.

For Rowan, Herlihy had a team-high 13 points while Mallard finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

UP NEXT:

Kean travels to face #2 New Jersey City University on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m.