NORTON, Mass. (NJCUGothicKnights.com)| Behind 20 points and six assists from freshman point guard Tu'ziah Hall(Greenville, N.C./Bannecker (NC)) and 34 bench points, the New Jersey City University women's basketball team defeated Newbury, 83-75, in the consolation round of the 5th Annual Cheryl Warren-Powers `95 Memorial Tip-Off Tournament on November 19.
Three Gothic Knights (2-1) registered double-digit points in Saturday's non-conference win. Newbury fell to 0-2. Hall was named to the All-Tournament Team after impressing in both of NJCU's games hosted by Wheaton College (Mass.). She averaged 19.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals on the weekend as NJCU surpassed its win total from last year in the first week of the season.
In the win, Hall led NJCU with 20 on 6-of-13 shooting, knocking down 7-of-8 foul shots with six assists and four steals while junior guard Aaliyah Saud (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) made 6-of-13 shots in 30 minutes, including three three-pointers (3-7), to score 17 points. She added five boards and four steals and paced a Gothic Knight long-range effort that included eight triples (8-18, .444).
In 31 minutes of action after coming off the bench, senior guard Kiana Briggs (Paterson, N.J./Passaic County Tech) almost achieved a double-double on the day, producing her 30th career double-digit scoring effort with 15 points (5-13 FG), eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Meanwhile, senior forward Ziyadah Williams (Jersey City, N.J./University Academy Charter)fell two points of a double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds in 36 minutes while scoring eight (4-7 FG). Freshman Tiana Hill (Brandywine, Md./Gwynn Park (Md.)) scored eight points in 16 minutes of play, including a pair of threes, and freshman center Melissa Etienne (Maplewood, N.J./Columbia) scored seven points and added four rebounds before fouling out.
Christina Babcock and Destiny Spears led all scorers with 23 points apiece while Savannah Olsen had a double-double effort with 19 points and 10 boards for Newbury. The Nighthawks trio scored 65 of the team's 75 points.
Spears had a near triple-double with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting, 15 rebounds (10 defensive) and eight assists in a full 40 minutes. Babcock shot 8-of-16 overall, 5-of-13 from three-point range and added five assists. Olsen had eight offensive boards and shot 6-of-11 overall and 7-of-9 at the line.
NJCU never trailed and opened the game scoring 14 of the first 15 points. The 14-1 opening outburst was capped by a three pointer from Saud after Briggs and Hall combined for nine points. NJCU outscored Newbury 20-10 in the opening quarter. The fast start allowed the Gothic Knights to push the advantage to as many as 12 in the second quarter and NJCU led 45-34 at halftime despite Babcock scoring 14 in the period.
The Knights scored eight of the first 11 points in the second half and led by 17 (51-34) after a layup by Saud. The Nighthawks were able to draw within eight at the end of the quarter before threes from Saud and Briggs in the opening 90 seconds of the third quarter raised the margin back to a dozen. Newbury managed to shave the deficit to five (77-72) in the final two minutes before the Knights iced it from the line.
QUOTABLE KNIGHTS
Second-year head coach Robyn Burton following the win against Newbury: "It was a good team win overall. [Kiana] Briggs gave us a huge spark off the bench with her 15 points. Tu'ziah [Hall] and Aaliyah [Saud] continued their balanced attack offensively and defensively. We still have a lot of work to do, especially on the defensive end, but I am proud of my team because we are making progress. We are now focused and preparing for a tough conference game against Rutgers Newark on Tuesday. We are going to rest tomorrow and get back to the grind on Monday."
OF NOTE:
- Series: First-ever meeting vs. Newbury.
- Ziyadah Williams recorded double digit rebounds for the sixth time in her career—all in the last two seasons.
- Kiana Briggs fell one rebound short of matching her career-high of nine rebounds, which she achieved twice, most recently on February, 14, 2015 against Montclair State.
- The 83 points were the most NJCU has scored since an 84-69 win over William Paterson in Jersey City on February 9, 2015.
- NJCU is 45-1 all-time when scoring at least 80 points in a game.
WHAT'S NEXT?:
The Gothic Knights will open New Jersey Athletic Conference play and play their home opener on Tuesday, November 22 at 6:00 p.m. inside the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (Charlie Brown Court). Fans are encouraged to wear white for Tuesday's doubleheader and a huge crowd is expected for the opening 'White Out' event.
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