Montclair, NJ (12/5/09) – Junior forward Tiffany Patrick (Piscataway, NJ / Piscataway) powered her way to 22 points and 16 rebounds while leading four players in double figures as No. 9/12 Kean University rolled to its fifth straight victory with an 83-51 victory over Montclair State in an NJAC inter-divisional matchup at the Panzer Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.

Brittany Powell (Tinton Falls, NJ / Monmouth Regional) added 13 points and Naimah Clemons (Newark, NJ / Newark Tech) 12 and five rebounds as Kean improved to 5-1 overall, 2-0 in the NJAC.

Junior forward Kisandra Ayanbeku (Brockton, MA / Randolph) had 13 points and nine rebounds for Montclair State, which had its four-game winning streak snapped with the loss. MSU, whose two losses this season have come to Top 10 squads, is now 4-2 overall, 1-1 in conference play.  MSU lost its season opener to No. 5 Scranton.

Four points was the largest margin either team would get in the 12-plus minutes of the contest. A three-point play by Melissa Beyruti (Union City, NJ / Union Hill) gave Kean a 7-3 lead, however Montclair rattled off the next seven points to take a three-point lead with 14:18. Jamilee Pflug (Clark, NJ / Arthur L. Johnson) hit a jumper and Catherine Cristino (Farmingdale, NJ / Colts Neck) scored the final five points, including layup to put MSU in front 10-7.

Kean countered with an 8-0 run of its own as Angelica Bermudez (Jersey City, NJ / St. Anthony) ignited the run with a layup the was followed by a Beyruti three as Kean led 14-12. Powell then drained a three from the right side as Kean lengthened its lead to 17-12 with 7:43 left.  That lead would climb to as many as 12 points as Nicol Biesek (South Pasadena, CA / South Pasadena) hit from three-point range to make the score 30-18 before a four-point run by MSU to close the half gave a Kean a 30-22 lead heading into the break.

In the second half, Montclair would trim the deficit to four as Ayanbeku scored 2:05 in to pull MSU within 32-28.  Clemons answered with a three-point play and Patrick added three straight buckets as the Cougar lead moved to 41-31 with 14:37 remaining. Ayanbeku’s free throw dropped the lead below 10 at 41-32, however a 10-0 run by Kean blew the game opener. Powell had the final five points as the Cougars led 51-32 with 12 minutes to play.

Beyruti finished with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals for Kean, which outrebounded Montclair State 65-40, including 34 offensive boards. Danielle Brown (North Brunswick, NJ / St. Peter’s) grabbed seven rebounds while Bermudez chipped in with eight points and seven boards off the bench.

Cristino had 11 points for Montclair State while Pflug added nine and four rebounds.  

Both teams return to action with non-conference games. Montclair State hosts Manhattanville College at the Panzer Athletic Center on Monday, December 7 in a 7:00 pm tip. Kean is on the road the following evening (December 8) as they take on DeSales University in Center Valley, PA.