Women's Basketball

JACKSON'S CAREER HIGH PUSHES KEAN PAST ROWAN, 79-66

UNION, N.J. (2/15/07) - Sophomore guard Ebony Jackson (Newark, N.J.) had a career-high 25 points and nine rebounds, as the Kean University women's basketball team defeated Rowan University, 79-66, in New Jersey Athletic Conference South Division action on Thursday evening.

Sophomore Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.) chipped in with 13 points for the Cougars who improve to 21-3 overall and 10-2 in the NJAC. Freshman Jessica Nimbley (Middletown, N.J.) led the Profs with 18 points off the bench. Rowan falls to 9-15 overall and 2-10 in the NJAC.

Kean grabbed the first point of the contest and captured a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest. The Cougars led by as many as 19 points in the first half as Kim Smith (Burlington, N.J.) hit a jumper for a 32-13 advantage at 8:33. The Profs did not give in and brought that gap down to single digits on six different occasions in the final two minutes of the period. Kean headed into the lockerroom at the break with an 11 point lead, 45-34.

Jackson led the Cougars with 13 points and five rebounds while Smith chipped in with eight points. Freshman Jillian Kane (Ridgefield Park, N.J.) led Rowan with seven points in five minutes.

The Profs surged in the first eight minutes of the second half, trimming the led to just three points at 12:46 as Nimbley hit a layup to put the score at 53-50. The Cougars responded by pushing the led to 13 over the next nine minutes and held on for their 21st victory of the year, the first time to capture that many wins since the 1990-1991 season.

Seniors Ebony Allen (Camden, N.J.) and Chi Clark (Maplewood, N.J.) each recorded 10 rebounds for Kean.