Women's Basketball

KEAN CRACKS NATIONAL RANKINGS IN WOMEN'S HOOPS

UNION, N.J. (1/17/07) - Following a 14-1 start, the Kean University women's basketball team earned a spot in a pair of Top 25 polls for the first time this season. The Cougars are currently ranked #21 according to D3hoops.com and are #23 in the USA Today ESPN Top 25 poll, as released by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

The Cougars have won six straight games, and are a perfect 4-0 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The team's lone setback of the year came against #3/4 University of Scranton, where the Cougars dropped a 59-57 decision to the Lady Royals.

Kean leads the NJAC in seven categories, including scoring (79.3 points per game), rebounding (45.8 per game), scoring margin (+23.1), assists (16.3 per game) and steals (15.4 per game), while also ranking second in four other categories.

Sophomore guard Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.) leads the NJAC in scoring (16.9 points per game) and three-point field goals made (3.53 per game), while sophomore point guard Ebony Jackson (Newark, N.J.) leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.84) and ranks second in field goal percentage (51.8 percent) and assists (5.40 per game).

Nationally, the Cougars are fourth in the country in scoring, fifth in scoring margin, tied for sixth in winning percentage and 10th in steals, while Beyruti is fourth in three pointers made per game and Jackson is 19th in assists per game.

The Cougars battle Rowan University in a NJAC South Division match-up on Wednesday, January 17. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.