UNION, N.J. (2/20/08) - For the fifth straight week, the Kean University women's basketball is ranked in the top 10, falling just slightly after suffering just its second loss of the season in the Cougars only game last week. Ranked sixth a week ago in both the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll and USA Today ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Cougars dropped to seventh and eighth, respectively after falling to The College of New Jersey (79-71) in a New Jersey Athletic Conference South Division battle. Kean is also ranked third in the NCAA Division III Atlantic Region rankings.

In the most recent NCAA statistical rankings, the team and several Cougars players are ranked in numerous categories. As a team, Kean is ranked first in the nation in both scoring offense (86.0) and scoring margin (30.7), while also ranking second in rebound margin (15.0). The Cougars also rank fourth in steals (16.7), tied for fifth in winning percentage (.913), and 13th in assists (17.4).

Other team rankings have Kean 16th in blocked shots per game (5.2), 18th in field goal percentage (.445), 34th in field goal percentage defense (.342), 55th in scoring defense (55.3) and 60th in assist-to-turnover ratio (0.86).

Individually, senior center Chari' Cooper (Paulsboro, N.J.) is third in rebounds per game (14.3), while her 1,398 career rebounds are currently fifth all-time in NCAA Division III history and are just 6 rebounds away from fourth place and 22 rebounds shy of moving into third place all-time.

The 2006-07 NCAA Division III leader in three point field goals made, junior guard Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.) is currently tied for seventh in the category this season (3.0), while also ranking 50th in three-point field goal percentage (.365) and 51st in scoring (17.4). Her 242 career three-pointers moved her into a tie for 25th place in NCAA Division III career history.

Junior guard Ebony Jackson (Newark, N.J.) is ranked in a pair of categories, currently eighth in assists per game (6.3) and 27th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.95). The three-year starter at point guards needs just 31 more assists to become the program's all-time leader in the category with 466 career assists.