Kean Pulls Away From Tufts to Advance to Sweet Sixteen

Kean Pulls Away From Tufts to Advance to Sweet Sixteen
Kean Athletics

UNION, N.J. (3/6/10) - Sophomore guard Brittany Powell (Tinton Falls, N.J.) scored a career-high 21 points to lift the Kean University women's basketball team to a 75-56 win over Tufts University to advance the Cougars to the Sweet Sixteen. The #2 Cougars (28-1) tie the school record for wins in a season, as they extend their school-record winning streak to 28 games. Junior forward Tiffany Patrick (Piscataway, N.J.) scored all 17 of her points in the second half and finished with 11 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season.

Tufts (21-6) was led by junior Colleen Hart (Needham, Mass.), who knocked down eight three-pointers en-route to scoring a game-high 28 points.

Powell, who is starting in place of Kean's all-time leading scorer Melissa Beyruti (Union City, N.J.), hit 8-of-12 shots from the floor and had four three-pointers for the Cougars. Beyruti is still day-to-day after suffering an injury in the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship game a week ago.

The Cougars took an early 11-5 lead just 2:05 into the contest, as the Cougars knocked down their first three-pointers, the last two coming from Powell. The score would remain that way though for the next four minutes of the game, before Hart ended the scoring drought with a three-pointer to pull the Jumbos to within 11-8.

After a pair of Kean free throws by rookie Naimah Clemons (Newark, N.J.) gave the Cougars a 13-10 lead, Hart had a jumper and Tufts senior forward Julia Baily (Farmington, Conn.) had a lay-up to give the Jumbos a 14-13 lead midway through the half. A lay-up by Powell put the Cougars back up one, before a three-pointer by Tufts sophomore guard Kate Barnosky (Huntington Station, N.Y.) put the Jumbos back ahead at 17-15.

Powell would then ignite a 10-0 Kean run with a three-pointer and would score eight of the teams points in the run to give Kean a 25-27 lead with 6:39 left in the half. The Jumbos would answer with seven straight points, pulling to within 25-24 on a lay-up by Baily with 5:17 left and would take a 28-26 lead with under two minutes remaining in the half, before the Cougars took a 29-28 lead at halftime on a lay-up by junior Angelica Bermudez (Jersey City, N.J.).

Powell netted 16 points in the first half for Kean, while Hart had 13 points and Baily chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds for Tufts.

Baily opened the scoring in the second half for Tufts, giving the Jumbos a 30-29 lead and a three-pointer by Barnosky would put the Jumbos ahead one final time at 36-35, before a 9-0 run by the Cougars gave them the lead for good.

Tufts pulled back to within four points at 46-42, however Kean responded with another 11-0 spurt to take a 57-42 lead with 8:32 left in the game.

Down the stretch, the Cougars led by as many as 23 points, as they advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in the last four seasons.

In the victory, senior guard Cardiss Jackman (Tobyhanna, Pa.) had 17 points and three steals, while Clemons added 13 points and five rebounds. Bermudez came off the bench to grab a game-high 15 rebounds.

Baily finished with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds in her final career game.

Kean will face Bowdoin College in the Sweet Sixteen on Friday, March 12, 2010, at 8 p.m. in Harwood Arena at Kean University.