LIU Brooklyn became the first team in the 32-year history of the Northeast Conference to claim three straight tournament titles when it knocked off Mount St. Mary's, 91-70, Wednesday night.

By virtue of the win, the Blackbirds (20-13) received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It was the fourth straight game where they scored 90 points or more.

Mount St. Mary's (18-14) was seeking to become the first school in the NEC to win a conference championship by winning all three tournament games on the road. The Mountaineers ousted top-seeded Robert Morris in the semifinals.

But coach Jamion Christian's team ran into a human buzz saw in LIU Brooklyn's C.J. Garner. The senior guard led the Blackbirds with a career-high 31 points, displaying a variety of spin moves, floaters and ball-handling skills that the Mountaineers found difficult to defend.

The 5-10 Garner, who was voted the tournament MVP, has scored at least 30 points in three of his last four games and is averaging 23.4 points in his last 11 games. Garner's 84 points in the three tournament games is two points shy of Robert Morris' Chipper Harris record, set in 1983.

LIU Brooklyn's Jamal Olasewere, the NEC Player of the Year, scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Mountaineers, who saw their nine-game win streak snapped, received 21 points from Sam Prescott and 12 points from Kristijan Krajina off the bench.

Fueled by a packed crowd of 1,700 chanting "Three Peat" at The Wellness Center, the Blackbirds used a 14-2 run to start the second quarter to roll ahead 49-35 with 14:17 left to play. Garner scored five in the run and Olasewere chipped in with four points.

Mount St. Mary's got to within 11 points at 57-46 at the 11:14 mark, then fell prey to another big run from the Blackbirds. Garner tabulated nine points in a 14-2 blitz that increased his teams lead to 71-48 with 7:53 to go.

Mount St. Mary's trademark 3-point shooting, which had been effective in the first half, abandoned it in the second. The Mounties sank 3-of-18 3-pointers in the second half. They entered the game 10th in the country in successful 3-pointers at 8.5