NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Madlena Gerke, FDU
Guard/Forward, Graduate Student, 5-10, Riga, Latvia/Rigas45.vidusskola (Evansville)
Gerke came up big in FDU’s commanding 72-41 victory over Delaware State on Wednesday. The grad transfer drained six three-pointers on her way to 23 points while shooting 54.5 percent from beyond the arc. Gerke added three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals in the win. Her six threes are the most by a NEC player in a game this season. A trio of her triples came in a two-minute span in the first quarter to give the Knights an early 18-2 advantage. Gerke has made the most shots from behind the three-point line in the conference this season with a 3.0 per game average and 18 total, which rank 29th and 15th in the nation, respectively. The Latvia native’s 15.8 points per game average is tied for third in the NEC. With the win, FDU remains a perfect 2-0 at home so far during the 2025-26 campaign.
NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Leah Crosby, FDU
Forward, Freshman, 6-0, Plainfield, NJ/St. Thoma Aquinas
Crosby recorded a double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes of play during FDU’s 72-41 triumph over Delaware State. She added two blocks in the win to add onto her league-leading nine rejections. The Plainfield, NJ native is also tied with a conference-best 1.5 blocks per game. Her 10 points against the Hornets matched a season-high that she previously notched twice before, while her 11 boards were a new best on the year. Crosby ranks second among all NEC rookies with 6.3 rebounds per game, which is also ninth overall. This marked the third straight season that a Knight has earned a NEC Rookie of the Week award.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Marisa Gant, CSU (So., G)
Last week: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists at Western Illiinois
- Notched a career-high 15 points off the bench in a 86-75 setback at Western Illinois.
- Made seven shots from the field in last Monday's contest.
Madlena Gerke, FDU (Gr., G/F)
Last week: 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 6-11 3FG, 54.5 3FG%, 53.8 FG% vs. Delaware State
- Named NEC Player of the Week.
- Drained six three-pointers during the Knights 72-41 win over Delaware State.
- Leads the NEC in total three-pointers (18) and threes per game (3.0), which rank 15th and 29th in Division I respectively.
Eli Clark, LEM (So., G)
Last week: 15.5 ppg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 rpg, 8-14 3FG, 57.0 3FG%
- Netted 17 points in Le Moyne's nailbiting 52-51 overtime defeat against Cornell.
- Made eight three-pointers last week, netting four in each game.
- Added 14 points and five assists at Pittsburgh.
Kadidia Toure, LIU (Sr., F)
Last week: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 block vs. American
- Narrowly missed out on her third double double of the season with 16 points and nine rebounds in a 69-55 win over American.
- Added four assists and four steals in the victory.
- Scored eight points in the fourth quarter to help secure LIU's fourth win of the season.
- Leads the NEC in scoring (20.8) and rebounding (9.5).
Janessa Williams, LIU (Jr., G)
Last week: 15.0 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 55.6 FG%, 60.0 3FG% vs. American
- Netted 15 points and grabbed six rebounds in the Sharks' victory against American
- Drained a trio of three-pointers in the win, including two in the final frame to help ice the game for LIU.
- Shot an efficient 5-9 from the field, while shooting 60 percent from beyond the arc.
Lindsay Hogan, NHVN (Sr., G)
Last week: 27.0 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals vs. Bard
- Scored 27 points, grabbed 16 boards and dished out seven assists in New Haven's 87-28 win over Bard College.
- Marked her second 20-point outing of the season.
- Owns the best assist/turnover ratio (2.6) in the conference.
Sonia Sato, SFU (Gr., C)
Last week: 16.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 46.4 FG%, 50.0 3FG%
- Scored 24 points for the Red Flash against Carnegie Mellon.
- Went 3-of-5 from three in a setback to Army.
Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor, WAG (Jr., F)
Last week: 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 41.7 FG% vs. Lafayette
- Recorded a double double in Wagner's narrow 56-53 setback to Lafayette.
- Scored 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Leopards while adding two steals.
- Marked her second double double of the season.
#NECWBB BY THE NUMBERS
15 - LIU is off to a 4-1 start, which is its best start in 15 years when LIU matched its current record through the first five games of the 2011-12 season.
6 - FDU’s Madlena Gerke nailed 6 three-pointers in the Knights 72-41 win over Delaware State, which is the most in a game by a NEC player this season.
40 - Sponsoring the sport for the first time in 1986-87, the NEC tipped off its 40th women’s basketball earlier this month.
#NECWBB FAST BREAK
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: After back-to-back home games, CCSU begins a three-game road trip starting with a Monday night match up with St. John’s.
CHICAGO STATE: The Cougars are making a trip to the Sunshine state this Feast Week to play in the Florida Gulf Classic Challenege.
FDU: This is the second straight year that FDU is .500 or better through the first six gams of the season.
LE MOYNE: Le Moyne is the only NEC team to have a game go into OT this season with the Dolphins having a 1-1 record in extra time.
LIU: LIU leads the NEC in multiple stat categories including scoring offense (75.0), free throw percentage (74.6) and field goal percentage (43.1).
MERCYHURST: Preseason All-NEC pick Jenna Van Schaik has netted double digits in thre consecutive contests, including a season-high 17 points at No. 12 Iowa State.
NEW HAVEN: NEC newcomer New Haven leads the NEC in scoring defense (51.2), field goal percentage (33.8) and assists per game (18.2)
SAINT FRANCIS: Saint Francis takes part in a MTE at Iona this Feast Week featuring a match up with the Gaels and second game against UIC or Maine.
STONEHILL: Stonehill’s next stint of games feature an all New England lineup as the Skyhawks take on Brown, Providence and Dartmouth.
WAGNER: Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor notched her second double double of the season for the Seahawks against Lafeyette off 17pts and 10 reb.
#NECWBB NEWS & NOTES
WHAT’S ON TAP?
Feast Week is a upon us as nine NEC squads hit the hardwoord this week. Stonehill is the lone team not in action.
Both Saint Francis and Chicago State are both participating in Multi-Team Events (MTEs) over the weekend with the Cougars heading to Fort Myers, FL for the 2025 Florida Gulf Classic Challenge, featuring match ups with New Mexico and Pitt. The Red Flash head to upstate NY to New Rochelle to compete in two games at Iona, including a contest against the Gaels on Friday.
The Week 4 slate features 10 road games, three home match ups and three neutral site contests. Wagner will host two home games this week.
BEST START SINCE...
For the first time since 2011-12, LIU opened the season with a 4-1 record. The Sharks have extended their best start in 15 years with a commanding 69-55 home victory over American last Thursday.
All wins have come in convincing fashion as LIU claimed victory by at least 14 points in each game. The only blemish on the Sharks’ record came against the American Conference preseason favorite South Florida in a tight 79-72 battle.
The last time LIU began the year 4-1 was during the 2011-12 campaign, which saw the squad finish with a 21-10 overall mark and a 10-8 conference record.
NEW FACES
There are four head coaches making their debut in the NEC this season, including LIU’s Neil Harrow, Mercyhurst’s Erin Mills-Reid, New Haven’s Debbie Buff and Saint Francis’ Chynna Bozeman.
CCSU head coach Kristin Caruso is also marking her first season as the Blue Devils’ full-time head coach after being the interim skipper for the final 15 games of the 2024-25 season, leading the Blue Devils to a third-place finish in the league standings.
SEEING DOUBLE
Eight NEC players from six different schoolas have notched a double double this season, with only three players hitting the milestone twice.
Le Moyne’s Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, NJ/John Jay (Mineral Area College)), LIU’s Kadidia Toure (Silver Spring, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel (James Madison/Arizona State)) and Wagner’s Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor (Ondo State, Nigeria/Topfield Secondary School) all have notched two double doubles this season.
Of the three, Toure is the only one to have scored 20 or more points in both, while Buragas is the only player of the trio to pull down 20 or more boards in a contest.
SHARP SHOOTER
FDU graduate student Madlena Gerke (Riga, Latvia/Rigas 45.vidusskola (Evansville)) hit six three-pointers in the Knights’ 72-41 win over Delaware State on Wednesday. The 5-10 forward finished the game with 23 points while shooting 54.5 percent from beyond the arc. Her six three’s are the most in a game by a NEC player this season.
The Evansville transfer leads the NEC in made three-point field goals with 18 and averages a league-best 3.0 per game, which are also both 15th and 29th in NCAA Division I, respectively.
THE ROARING TWENTIES
Le Moyne junior forward Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, NJ/John Jay (Mineral Area College)) had a historic outing in the Dolphins’ 82-79 OT victory over Lafyette on Nov. 9, scoring 20 points and grabbing 22 boards.
It was the first 20-20 double double by a NEC player since Merrimack’s Denia Davis-Stewart (25 points, 24 rebounds) on Feb. 21, 2020. Her 22 boards were the most in a game since Jan. 23, 2022 when Jada Dapaa snagged 23 boards.
Her 22 boards were the second-most in Le Moyne program history and the most by a Dolphin since January 1988. Additionally, Buragas is one of two players in the country to grab 22 boards in a single game.
BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE
In it’s debut campaign as a NEC member, New Haven is leading the conference in 11 different team statistic categories entering Week 4.
These include scoring defense (51.2), field goal percentage defense (33.8), rebounding offense (43.4), rebounding defense (34.2), rebounding margin (+9.2), assists per game (18.2), steals per game (11.4), assist/turnover ratio (1.1), offensive rebounds per game (17.8), defensive rebound percantage (68.8) and offensive rebound percentage (44.1).
MORE WEEK #4 NOTABLES
Le Moyne’s Sierra Linnin (Valley Cottage, NY/Albertus Magnus) made her 200th career three-pointer as a Dolphin last week, making her the third Le Moyne player to hit the mark.
The Knights swatted 12 shots against Delaware State (Nov. 19) last week, which is the most by a NEC team so far during the 2025-26 season.
FDU’s 50 three-point field goals are the most for the Knights through their first six games of the season in 23 years.
CCSU rookie Kiyah Lewis (Fredericksburg, VA/James Monroe) has burst onto the scene for the Blue Devils averaging 15.3 points per game so far this season, including three straight double digit outings. Her season-high is 24 points against UMass Lowell on Nov. 15.
LIU’s Kadidia Toure is one of four players in the country to lead their conference in both points per game and rebounds per game, joining Richmond’s Maggie Doogan (A-10), Howard’s Zennia Thomas (MEAC) and Western Illinois’ Mia Nicastro (OVC).
2025-26 NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nov. 10: Aiyanna Culver, CSU & Kadidia Toure, LIU
Nov. 17: Ava Renninger, FDU
Nov. 24: Madlena Gerke, FDU
Dec. 1:
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Nov. 10: Kayden Clark, LEM
Nov. 17: Reese Roggenburk, STO
Nov. 24: Leah Crosby, FDU
Dec. 1: