UNION, NJ -- Rowan was knocked out of the 2024 New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament as the Profs fell, 78-68, at Kean in a quarterfinal matchup Saturday afternoon.

The Profs whittled down a 20-point fourth quarter deficit to seven with just under a minute remaining but ran out of time as the home Cougars move on to the semifinal round. It was a rematch of last season's playoff matchup, in which Rowan was victorious in a semifinal contest.

Kate Herlihy led Rowan with 13 points while Nicole Mallard kicked in 12 along with seven rebounds and four assists,  both team highs.

The first quarter saw both teams shoot over 50% from the floor, yet Rowan trailed by six (22-16). Herlihy's three late in the second half kept the Profs within striking distance as the visitors were behind, 39-32, at the break.

Kean would limit Rowan in the third, as the Profs were just 4-of-18 shooting (22%). The Cougars added to its lead during that quarter to hold a 62-45 edge heading into the fourth.

Brittany Graff's three-point play at the 8:46 mark of the fourth gave Kean its largest lead of the contest at 67-47. Herlihy scored seven of her 13 points in the frame trying to pull the visitors back in it. Reagan Russo's putback off a miss capped a 12-0 Rowan run over a three-minute span for an eight-point game with four minutes in the contest. The deficit swelled back to 14 with 2:01 showing on the clock but not before the Profs gave it one last push. Another Herlihy three followed by two free throws from Savanna Holt suddenly made it a 73-66 score with 49 ticks left, but Rowan could pull no closer to help salt the game away.

Graff led all scorers with 17 points as Kean had all five starters finish in double figures. Gigi Gamble added 16 points and nine assists while teammate Shahd Badeer scored 15 and pulled down a game-high 16 boards.

Rowan finishes the season with a final record 12-14 under first-year coach Kate Pearson.