Women's Basketball

Beyruti, Cooper Named Finalists for All-American Tean

ATLANTA, Ga. (3/7/08) - Junior guard Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.) and senior center Chari' Cooper (Paulsboro, N.J.) were both named finalists for the 2008 State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III, as announced by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) on Friday evening. 

Beyruti and Cooper were both named to the five-member Region 3 team, marking the third time since 2002-03 that two Kean players earned the distinction in the same year.  Beyruti, a Kodak/WBCA Honorable Mention All-American a year ago, earns the honor for the second straight season, while Cooper becomes the fifth player under Kean Head Coach Michele Sharp to earn the regional All-American honor.

Kean is currently 26-3 after opening the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball tournament with a 83-76 victory over Utica College on Friday evening.  With a win the second round over Brandeis University, the Cougars would tie the program record for wins in a season and advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight year.  The Kean-Brandeis game will feature three finalists for the All-America Basketball Team, as Brandeis senior guard Jaime Capra (Old Bridge, N.J.) was named to the Region 1 squad.

A two-time NJAC First-Team All-Star, Beyruti (pictured right) is one the verge of becoming the program's all-time leading scorer as just a junior.  A three-year starter, Beyruti has 1,394 career points, just 24 points away from breaking the mark of 1,417 career points set by Jaquana Abdullah (1999-2003). 

Beyruti currently leads the conference in scoring (18.4 points per game) and three point field goals made (94/3.3 per game).  Already the program's all-time leader in three-point field goals made, the sharpshooter has 267 career three-pointers to rank tied for 16^th in NCAA Division III career history and just three away from moving into 14^th place.

Last season, her 110 three-pointers were tied for fifth all-time in single season NCAA history, while her 94 treys this season are just four away from moving into a tie for 18^th place on the list. 

A four-time NJAC all-star, Cooper is just 12 rebounds away from becoming just the third player in NCAA Division III history to surpass 1,500 career rebounds.  In 112 career games, the center has a school-record 1,488 career boards to rank third in NCAA Division III history and 12^th among all-divisions in NCAA history. 

 Cooper (pictured left), a first-team NJAC all-star this season, is averaging 11.5 points and 14.4 rebounds a game to lead the conference in rebounding for the fourth straight season, while her 419 rebounds this season shattered her own school record and are just three rebounds away from moving into 20^th place in NCAA single season history. 

The 40 finalists, who are voted upon by WBCA member coaches in each of the eight WBCA award regions, are now in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-American Team.  Worcester State's Karen Tessmer will announce the State Farm Coaches' All-American Basketball Team at the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Banquet on Thursday, March 20, at Hope College in Holland, Mich.