By: David Macaulay-Smith I Published: February 14, 2025
The Kean University women’s basketball team traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to compete in
the DIII Music City Classic on December 29 and 30. The tournament, held at Trevecca
Nazarene University, featured top Division III competition, giving the Cougars a chance to test
their skills against new opponents in a challenging setting.
Kean opened the tournament against Berea College, falling 70-43. Despite the tough matchup,
sophomore Cara McCoy led the Cougars with 10 points, while Maya Edwards contributed six points and
10 rebounds.
Reflecting on the experience, McCoy emphasized the unique challenge of facing unfamiliar teams.
“I feel like my offensive game was very aggressive, and I had an attack-first mindset. Being in a different state playing teams we have never matched up with before was an eye-opening experience. Each team has a different spunk or style they bring to the game. It was a fun experience, and the gym atmosphere made it even better,” McCoy said.
Kean rebounded with a stronger effort in their second game on December 30 but narrowly fell to Bethany College, 63-60. McCoy again led the scoring with 15 points, while junior Erika Mercedes
delivered a dominant performance with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Senior Maddison Vaughn also made a major impact, posting 12 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks.
Despite the loss, Mercedes remained positive about the team’s performance and growth.
“I would say I’m pleased with the outcome of my performance because of the support and love
my teammates give me. They never fail to remind me that they’re here for me. As long as we
stick together and have each other’s backs, we’ll be good. That’s our biggest strength, and we
can do anything with it,” Mercedes said
Vaughn echoed the importance of effort and adaptability.
“I just made an effort to stay involved in all areas of the game that I could control. I knew we needed more than just trying to score, so I made it a point to contribute in other ways—whether it was grabbing rebounds, making a good pass with a purpose, or setting good
screens. The key for me was to raise my level of intensity while staying focused, even when things weren’t going our way,” Vaughn said.
All three players emphasized the lessons learned from the tournament and how the team can use these experiences to improve moving forward.
“Personally, I know the girls always have my back. Whether I’m in my head or having a bad day, they’re always there for me. Whenever I see them go out of their way to make sure I’m good, it helps me remember my ‘why’ and that I have a family right there by my side,” Mercedes said.
McCoy highlighted the team’s mindset as a key takeaway.
“I feel like myself and my team can continue to come into every game with that attack-first mindset. When we play that way, we’re a powerful team,” McCoy said.
Vaughn focused on the team’s resilience.
“As a team, I think we learned a lot. We realized we had a toughness to us, especially after
losing one of our starters. We just have to keep working on our consistency and executing to
finish games with a win, no matter what the scoreboard says. We’ll use this experience to stay
more disciplined and keep that same will to win in the next games,” Vaughn said.
With their experience at the Music City Classic, the Cougars aim to build on their strengths and
carry their competitive energy into the rest of the season.
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