Kean Grabs Cougar Classic Title with 74-65
Victory Over Hamilton
UNION, N.J. (11/18/07) - Senior center
Chari' Cooper (Paulsboro, N.J.) and freshman
forward Angelica Bermudez (Belleville, N.J.) each
recorded double-doubles to lead the Kean University women's
basketball team to a 74-65 victory over Hamilton College in the
Cougar Classic Championship Game on Sunday afternoon.
In the consolation game, McDaniel College defeated Oneonta State
College, 67-56, as senior guard Robbin Gregg (Oakland,
Md.) had 12 points and four assists.
COOPER, BERMUDEZ LIFT KEAN PAST
HAMILTON, 74-65
Bermudez (pictured right) came off the bench and scored 19 points
on 8-of-11 shooting and added 11 rebounds to record her first
career double-double.
The Cougars built a 16-point advantage at halftime, as they
outscored the Continentals 13-2 to end the first half with the
42-26 lead. Bermudez hit 7-of-9 shots from the floor to score
16 points in the opening half, while Cooper had seven points, 11
rebounds and five steals at the midway point.
For Hamilton, senior forward Pumla Sathula (Soweto,
South Africa) had nine points and three assists in the
opening half.
In the second half, the Cougars extended their lead to 17 points
on their first possession of the half on a free throw by
Cooper. Hamilton cut the deficit to single digits and
eventually pulled to within five points on a lay-up by
freshman guard Reisa Asimovic (Sarajevo, Bosnia &
Herzegovina) with 6:38 left in the contest before the
Cougars answered with four straight points to push the lead back to
nine points.
Kean would push the lead to back to double-digits in the final
minute before settling for the nine-point victory in winning its
third straight Cougar Classic.
Cooper earned Most Valuable Player honors after recording her
second straight double-double, nearly missing out with the
triple-double with 15 points, 18 rebounds and a career-best nine
steals. Bermudez also earned all-tournament team honors, as
she added two blocks and two steals in 21 minutes off the
bench.
Sophomore Cardiss Jackman (Tobyhanna, Pa.)
(pictured left) battled foul trouble to finish with nine points and
five rebounds in just 15 minutes of action, while freshman guard
Renee Henry (Hackensack, N.J.) added six steals
and six assists off the bench.
For the Continentals, Sathula and junior center Sydney
Fasulo (Lancaster, Pa.) each earned all-tournament team
honors after finishing with 19 points and 10 points,
respectively. Sathula also added nine rebounds, four assists
and three steals, while senior guard Jess Barrows (Old
Saybrook, Conn.) added 11 points and three rebounds.
Kean returns to action on Tuesday, November 20, when they host
Lehman College in non-conference action at 7 p.m.
McDANIEL TAKES CONSOLATION GAME,
67-56
Gregg and Courtney Gogolinski (Pasadena, Md.)
each scored 12 points in the 67-56 Green Terror victory over
Oneonta State in the consolation game.
McDaniel opened the game with a 10-2 run to take the early eight
point lead, as junior forward Lauren Wyble (Severna Park,
Md.) and sophomore guard Ali Moreland
(Davidsonville, Md.) each had four points in the run.
The Red Dragons battled back, tying the game for one last time
at 23-23 with just over five minutes remaining before McDaniel took
the lead for good, scoring the final nine points of the first half
for the 32-23 lead at halftime.
Gregg, Moreland and Wyble each had six points in the opening
half for McDaniel, while sophomore guard Sara Chrystie
(Oxford, N.Y.) and junior Christi Podgorski
(Schenectady, N.Y.) each had six points for Oneonta State.
In the second half, McDaniel extended their lead to as many as
17 points on a pair of occasions en-route to its first win of the
season.
Wyble finished with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds for
McDaniel, while Gregg added four assists and two steals in the
victory to earn all-tournament team honors.
For Oneonta State, Podgorski finished with a game-high 21 points
on 8-of-12 shooting and added nine rebounds and three steals to
land on the all-tournament team. Chrystie added 10 points and
two assists, while junior guard Megan Bucci (Marlboro, N.Y.) added
game-highs of 10 rebounds and six steals, while also chipping in
with eight points.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Chari' Cooper, Kean University (pictured right)
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Robbin Gregg, McDaniel College
Christi Podgorski, Oneonta State College
Angelica Bermudez, Kean University
Pumla Sathula, Hamilton College
Sydney Fasulo, Hamilton College
