With five minutes remaining in the opening period, the Cougars held a 31-30 lead before Rowan went on a 23-4 run to take the 18-point lead at the half. Rowan junior guard Sheemea Carr (Glassboro, N.J.) had 10 points and senior guard Kami Bernardo (Florence, N.J.) scored six points in the run, while Rowan used a blistering 20-for-22 effort from the free throw line for the halftime advantage.
The Cougars opened the second-half with nine unanswered points and eventually took a brief 71-70 lead with 5:31 remaining on a layup by senior center Danielle Moseley (Bloomfield, N.J.). The Profs pushed their lead back to 75-71 on five straight points from senior guard Staci Minuskin (Howell, N.J.), before the Cougars tied the game on a layup by freshman forward Chari’ Cooper (Paulsboro, N.J.) with 2:15 left. On the next Rowan possession, Carr knocked down a three-pointer to take the lead for good.
Kean senior guard Missy Magyar (Iselin, N.J.) knocked down a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 80-78, however Carr knocked down both free-throws in the final 12 seconds to clinch the victory.
For the Cougars, Magyar tied her career-high with 27 points and a career-best seven three-pointers, including 19 points in the second half. Cooper finished with 12 points and 17 rebounds to record her 13th double-double of the season and set the single-season rebounding record. For the season, Cooper has 339 rebounds, breaking the mark of 333 rebounds set by former Cougar All-American Shervon James (2000-04) a year ago.
Also for Kean, Moseley had her fourth double-double of the season with a career-high 16 rebounds and 12 points and freshman guard Allison Summerset (Mays Landing, N.J.) added 13 points, including three three-pointers.
In the victory, Carr finished with 22 points and seven assists, while Bernardo added 18 points and a team-high 15 rebounds. Rowan senior guard Jaime McCormack (Trenton, N.J.), the NJAC leading scorer, finished with 17 points and six rebounds and Minuskin added 14 points off the bench.
The Cougars return to action on Wednesday, February 9, when they travel to William Paterson University in NJAC action at 6 p.m.