HACKETTSTOWN, NJ (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior guard Kiana Briggs (Paterson, NJ/Passaic County Tech) sparked New Jersey City University to a 10-3 run to open the second half as the Gothic Knights separated themselves from Bryn Athyn College, prevailing 67-49, in the opening round of the Centenary College Tip-Off Tournament on November 15 at the John M. Reeves Center.
 
NJCU (1-0) will face host Centenary in Sunday's championship game; the Cyclones routed Penn State University Wilkes-Barre, 70-30, in the other tournament opening round contest.
 
Leading 29-27 at the half over Bryn Athyn, a member of the North Eastern Athletic Conference, NJCU shot 51.7 percent in the second period (15-29) to pull away. The Knights notched 77.8 percent foul shooting in the win (14-18).
 
Briggs led four NJCU players in double figures, notching a game-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting while contributing eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 34 minutes. She scored 12 in the second half. Senior point guard Mesha Laguerre (Union, NJ/Union) registered a career-high 13 for the Knights, knocking down 5-of-6 shots off the bench, including all three three-pointers.
 
Power forward Bria Smith (Bayonne, NJ/St. Dominic Academy), the 2014 New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, had a strong sophomore debut with 10 of her 13 points coming in the second half. She added seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals.  

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