Cooper, who leads the nation in rebounding at 16.8 per game, notched her sixth game of the season with 20 or more rebounds. She broke Kean’s single-game record of 26 boards by current assistant coach Jaquana Abdullah, who set the mark against William Paterson University on February 14, 2001.
Although Cooper had her 11th double-double of the season by halftime (11 points, 14 rebounds), Rutgers-Camden held a 31-28 halftime lead behind the play of juniors Megan Rulon (Sewell, NJ/Clearview Regional) and Carmen Zimmitt (Woodstown, NJ/Woodstown). Rulon, who also entered the game as a national leader – topping all Division III players with 4.7 blocked shots per game – notched eight points, four blocks and two steals in the opening half, while Zimmitt had eight points and three rebounds.
Kean, which opened up leads of 11 points on two occasions in the second half, saw the Raptors rally to regain a 57-56 lead with 3:04 remaining on a lay-up by freshman guard Imani Hafiz (Franklinville, NJ/Delsea Regional). The Cougars took the lead for good at 60-59 on Cooper’s lay-up with 1:31 remaining.
Kean also received two assists, four blocks and one steal from Cooper, who went 10-for-19 from the field and 5-for-8 from the foul line for her 25 points. She had 14 offensive rebounds and 16 defensive boards. Led by Cooper, the Cougars held a 68-33 rebounding advantage in the game.
The Cougars, who improved to 6-10 overall and 3-4 in the NJAC, also received 14 points and 13 rebounds from senior center Danielle Moseley (Bloomfield, NJ/Montclair).
Hafiz finished with 16 points, three assists, five rebounds and a game-high five steals for the Lady Raptors, who fall to 6-9 overall and 1-6 in the NJAC, snapping their two-game winning streak. Zimmitt had 13 points, while Rulon notched 12 points, five rebounds and seven blocked shots, raising her average to 4.9 blocks per game. The five rebounds, meanwhile, lifted her over 500 for her career, giving her 501.
Sophomore guard Kelly Stafford (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester) added 10 points and three assists for the Raptors.
The Lady Raptors play a 2 p.m. non-conference game Monday at St. Mary’s College in Maryland.