Box Score
WAYNE, N.J. – Melissa Beyruti's three-pointer as time expired gave Kean (24-3) a 62-59 victory against William Paterson (22-5) in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament championship game Feb. 24 at the WPU Rec Center.
The Pioneers trailed by 10 (47-57) with 3:27 to play, but were able to mount a furious rally to eventually tie the score. Senior Luci Custis (Roselle, N.J./Abraham Clark), the 2007 NJAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, converted a three-point play at the 2:07 mark (50-57), followed by a pair of free throws by freshman Julie Haledjian (Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills),to pull the Pioneers within five at 52-57 (1:43). Senior Melissa Moore's (East Orange, N.J./North Bergen) putback with 59.8 seconds on the clock made the score 54-57, and Haledjian came away with a steal on the ensuing inbounds play, setting up a three-point attempt by junior Michelle Pellichero (Milltown, N.J./Bishop Ahr). Her shot would not fall, but Custis tracked down the rebound and converted the follow the 39.1 seconds left (56-57). Junior Lori Custis (Roselle, N.J./Abraham Clark) was then whistled for her fifth foul on the other end of the court, and Ebony Allen was able to convert both free throws to again make it a three-point contest (56-59, 17.5). Pellichero took control of the ball at the top of the key for the Pioneers and dribbled to her right on the perimeter, looking for space to get off a shot. Her leaning attempt found the bottom of the net, knotting the score at 59-59 with 6.3 seconds remaining. Kean's Ebony Jackson then took the inbounds pass and raced down the floor, finding Beyruti on the right wing. Several Pioneer defenders had Beyruti surrounded, but the NJAC's leading scorer somehow found a way to launch a shot, and it fell through the rim as time expired to give the Cougars their 11th conference title (1983-91, 2002).
With the victory, the Cougars have secured the league's automatic bid for the upcoming NCAA Division III Tournament. The Pioneers will have to wait for the announcement of the 63-team NCAA Tournament field Sunday, Feb. 25, to see if they also will be extending their postseason.
Both sides started the contest a bit over-eager, as three of first five possessions were ended by offensive charges. Six ties and six more lead changes marked the game's first 13:32, but a 9-2 Kean burst gave the Cougars control and a seven-point lead (18-25, 4:10). Pellichero'sthree-pointer from behind a screen briefly cut that advantage to four (23-27, 1:46), but Kean was able to take a six-point advantage into locker room, 23-29, thanks to a fast-break layup by Colby Greenlee in the final 30 seconds. Eight different players were saddled with two fouls apiece at the break, including two starters for the Pioneers and three for the Cougars.
A 10-3 spurt by William Paterson early in the second half cut the lead to three (33-36, 14:56), and the Pioneers eventually pulled even at 42-42 with 9:40 to play. NJAC Rookie of the Year Elisa Brown (Norwalk, Conn./ Norwalk) was called for a foul on a Beyruti three-point attempt, and her three free throws ignited a 12-2 burst for the Cougars (44-54, 5:55).
Luci Custis led the Pioneers with 20 points, five assists and three steals, adding seven rebounds. Pellichero scored 17 points, making five of 10 three-point attempts, and Moore chipped in 12 tallies. Brown led William Paterson with nine rebounds.
Allen posted 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars, while Beyruti scored 19 and Chari' Cooper had 11 rebounds.
The Pioneers and the Cougars won their respective divisions with identical 11-2 NJAC records. William Paterson was the top overall seed and hosted the NJAC Tournament final thanks to a 69-57 victory against Kean in the two teams' only regular-season meeting Jan. 27 in Wayne.
