newjerseynewsroom.com

BY JEFF LEVY

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The Kean University women's basketball is heading to its third National Collegiate Athletic Association Sweet 16 in the last four years. The Cougars played in their fourth straight NCAA Division 3 Basketball Championship Tournament on March 5-6. They came out on top after defeating Penn State-Berks and Tufts to bring their season record to 28-1. Kean was ranked second in the nation by D3hoops.com's Top 25 poll entering the postseason.

Kean overcame the Penn State-Berks Nittany Lions,105-68, on Friday March 5 and advanced to the second round of play. With 18:38 remaining in the first half Kean took a 3-2 lead on a free throw by junior forward Tiffany Patrick and never relinquished their grasp on the game. They led the Nittany Lions, 57-35, after the first half and continued to dominate the floor in the second half.

Four Cougars put up double figures in the game. Senior guard Cardiss Jackman led the team with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists. Patrick contributed 15 points, nine rebounds and five steals. Freshman guard Naimah Clemons posted 10 points, eight assists and four steals. Sophomore guard Brittany Powell also added 15 points.

The Cougars advanced to the Sweet 16 after defeating the Tufts University Jumbos , 75-56, on March 6.

With the victory, Kean tied the school record for wins in a season. It also extended their school-record winning streak to 28 games. Kean fought out a tough seesaw affair to garner a slim 29-28 lead going into halftime. In the second half they succeeded in taking control of the scoring with a three pointer by Clemons at 16:15. The Cougars improved their shooting percentage to 62.1 in the second half from 34.5 in the first half.

The same Kean foursome continued to perform at a high level, putting up double figures in their second straight NCAA Tournament game. Powell sunk a career-high 21 points in the game. Patrick notched her 13th double-double of the season after scoring 17 points and tallying 11 rebounds. Jackman had 17 points and three steals. Clemons totaled 13 points, five rebounds and three assists. Junior Angelica Bermudez snatched a game-high 15 rebounds while tossing in six points.

Kean went into the playoffs without their leading scorer, senior guard Melissa Beyruti after she was injured in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship Game on Feb. 27. Beyruti had been averaging 13.6 points per game and led the team with 368 points before the NCAA playoffs.

Kean University hosts the sectional round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament starting on March 12 at Harwood Arena in Union, N.J. The University of Rochester plays 10th ranked Christopher Newport University at 6:00 p.m. Kean University tips off against Bowdoin College at 8:00 p.m.

This will be first time in program history that Kean will challenge the Bowdoin College Polar Bears. Bowdoin is in its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and carries a 24-6 record into the matchup with Kean.