NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ava Renninger, FDU
Guard, Sophomore, 5-6, Yardley, PA/Archbishop Wood
Leading FDU to a 2-0 week, Renninger was an offensive force in both games for the Knights. The reigning NEC Rookie of the Year averaged 19.0 points per game along with dishing out 5.5 assists per contest and grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game. In Tuesday's 71-43 win at 6-1 NJIT, Renninger netted 20 points with 12 of them coming in the third quarter helping the Knights extend their lead. The sophomore guard added 18 points in the Knights' 13-point home victory over Monmouth on Saturday, while dropping six dimes and hitting 4-8 from beyond the arc. She poured in eight points across the final 10 minutes against the Hawks to secure the win for the Knights, who remained perfect (3-0) at home. Renninger drained seven three-pointers last week and is tied for the league lead with 20 triples on the season. The Yardley, PA native also leads the conference with 5.4 apg and her 16.6 ppg scoring average ranks second. This marked Renninger's second NEC Player of the Week honor this season and fourth of her career.
NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Leah Crosby, FDU
Forward, Freshman, 6-0, Plainfield, NJ/St. Thomas Aquinas
Earning back-to-back NEC Rookie of the Week accolades, Crosby continued the impressive start to her freshman season. The 6-0 forward averaged 8.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in a pair of wins for the Knights last week. In Tuesday night's win over NJIT, Crosby nearly notched her second double-double of the season after registering six points and nine rebounds in the 28-point road win. The Plainfield, NJ native added 11 more points in FDU's 63-50 triumph over Monmouth on Saturday. Up two at the half, Crosby kickstarted the Knights' strong third quarter with a pair of three-pointers and scored eight points in the frame as FDU would go on to outscore the Hawks, 25-6. This is the second straight season that a Knight has won multiple NEC Rookie of the Week honors after Renninger claimed the award eight times in 2024-25.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Jessica Farrell, CCSU (So., G)
Last week: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 41.1 FG% at St. John's
- Notched a career-high 17 points in CCSU's setback at St. John's in her second start of the season.
- Made a season-high seven shots from the field in last Monday's contest.
- Has notched double-digit points in two of the last three games for the Blue Devils.
Ava Renninger, FDU (So., G)
Last week: 19.0 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.5 rpg, 46.6 FG%, 46.6 3FG%
- Named NEC Player of the Week for the second time this season and fourth time in her career.
- Matched her season-high 20 points in the Knights' 71-43 road win over NJIT.
- Ranks second in the NEC in scoring with 16.6 ppg, while leading the conference with 5.4 apg.
- Nailed seven three-pointers last week to tie for the league lead in total three's (20) and three's per game (2.5).
Kadidia Toure, LIU (Sr., F)
Last week: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 72.7 FT% at Fordham
- Has scored 16 or more points and grabbed six or more rebounds in all five of her appearances this season.
- Leads the conference in scoring (20.4), rebounding (8.8) and blocked shots (1.8).
- LIU leads the NEC in scoring, averaging 71.0 points per game.
Cici Hernandez, MU (So., G)
Last week: 20 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 5 3FGs, 35.7 3FG% at Canisius
- Netted a career-high 20 points, including five three-pointers in a narrow 75-67 defeat at Canisius.
- Mercyhurst scored 28 points off 23 forced turnovers against the Griffins.
- Her 14 three-pointers this season are tied for the third most by a NEC player in 2025-26.
Aniya McDonald-Perry, NHVN (Sr., F)
Last week: 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 62.5 FG% at Fairfield
- Registered her second double double of the season against the Stags.
- Has scored double digits in four of New Haven's six games.
- Leads the conference with 3.3 steals per game.
Addisen Sulikowski, NHVN (So., F)
Last week: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4-4 3FGs, 66.6 FG% at Fairfield
- Netted a season-high 18 points on the road against the Stags.
- Has registered back-to-back double-digit outings.
- Tied for second in the NEC for offensive rebounds per game with a 3.0 average.
#NECWBB BY THE NUMBERS
15 - LIU is off to a 4-2 start, which is its best start in 15 years. LIU went 5-1 through its first six games of the 2011-12 season.
50 - Wagner shot 50.0 percent from the field in its win over Cornell, which is just the second time a NEC team has done so versus a DI opponent (LIU vs. Northeastern on Nov. 3).
19 - New Haven limited in-state rival Fairfield to just 19 rebounds in their match up last week, which is a season-low for the 4-2 Stags.
#NECWBB FAST BREAK
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: Sophomore Jessica Farrell has notched double-digit outings in two of the last three games, including a season-high 17 points at St. John's last Monday.
CHICAGO STATE: Starting December 13, Chicago State embarks on a West Coast road trip with contests at Fresno State, Arizona and Utah Tech.
FDU: FDU is the league's top three-point shooting team making 35.0 percent of its shots from beyond the arc, while averaging 8.9 per game.
LE MOYNE: Sophomore Eli Clark is an almost perfect 93.3 percent from the free throw line, making 14-15 at the stripe this season.
LIU: LIU is the conference's top scoring offense as the Sharks average 71.0 points per game and have won their four games by an average of 12.8 ppg.
MERCYHURST: Sophomore Cici Hernandez netted a career-high 20 points on November 30 at Canisius.
NEW HAVEN: Veteran Aniya McDonald-Perry recorded her second double-double of the season at Fairfield on November 25 with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
SAINT FRANCIS: Saint Francis closes out its non-conference slate with three straight road games against Xavier, Pittsburgh and Fordham.
STONEHILL: Stonehill's next run of games feature an all-New England lineup as the Skyhawks take on Brown, Providence and Dartmouth.
WAGNER: Wagner received 30 points off the bench and shot 50.0 percent from the field during its win over Cornell on November 30.
#NECWBB NEWS & NOTES
WHAT’S ON TAP?
Nine of the NEC’s 10 women’s basketball squads take the court this week.
This week’s contests feature a plethora of local “rivalries” with Mercyhurst hosting Robert Morris and visiting No. 25 West Virginia, while Wagner takes on fellow New York squad Columbia. Le Moyne also hosts another Empire State team in St. Bonaventure.
On the New England side, Stonehill welcomes Brown to Easton, while Central Connecticut visits Dartmouth and hosts Vermont. Additionally, New Haven faces off with UMass Lowell.
The Week 5 slate features eight road contests and seven home games for the teams in action.
BEST START SINCE...
LIU is out to its best start since 2011-12 after going 4-2 through its first six games of the season.
LIU went 5-1 to start out the year 15 seasons ago, which saw the squad finish with a 21-10 overall mark and a 10-8 conference record.
All wins have come in convincing fashion this season as LIU has claimed victory by at least 14 points in each game.
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
Nine NEC players from seven different schools have notched a double-double this season, with only four players hitting the milestone twice.
Kadidia Toure of LIU, Le Moyne’s Ashley Buragas, Aniya McDonald-Perry from New Haven and Wagner’s Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor are the only athletes to have turned the trick twice.
Of the four, Toure is the only one to have scored 20 or more points in both double-double outings, while Buragas is the only player to pull down 20 or more boards in a contest.
Both of Doyinsola Modesayor's came within a nine-day span as she recorded them November 11 at NJIT and November 20 against Lafayette. McDonald-Perry recently registered her second double-double just last week at Fairfield on November 25.
SHARP SHOOTIN’ KNIGHTS
Defending conference champion FDU is the top three-point shooting team in the league, making 35.0 percent of its shots from beyond the arc along with draining an average 8.9 per game for a total of 71 on the year.
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-pointers are the most in a game by a NEC player this season.
Sophomore guard Kailee McDonald (Lowell, MA/Worcester Academy) shot an efficient 5-of-9 from three-point land during the Knights’ 71-43 win at NJIT. Her 55.6 three-point field goal percentage is the highest in a single game by a NEC player this season. McDonald finished the contest with 17 points, which is just one point shy of her career-high.
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 12 different team statistic categories entering Week 5.
These include scoring defense (55.8), field goal percentage (41.2), field goal percentage defense (36.1), rebounding offense (42.3), rebounding defense (31.7), rebounding margin (+10.7), assists per game (17.2), steals per game (10.8), assist/turnover ratio (0.9), offensive rebounds per game (17.3), defensive rebound percantage (69.8) and offensive rebound percentage (45.4).
FIRST LOOK NET
The first NET rankings of the season were released on Monday December 1, which saw a pair of NEC squads land in the top-200.
FDU landed at 169 with LIU not far behind at 199. New Haven was the third-highest ranked squad at 312.
Rounding out the rest of the league: Stonehill (314) and Wagner (320), Chicago State (340), Le Moyne (344), Saint Francis (350), CCSU (353) and Mercyhurst (359).
TOUGH COMPETITION
According to the first NET rankings of the season, Mercyhurst ranks 40th in NET Strength of Schedule.
The Lakers’ schedule features three AP top-25 opponents, including No. 23 Michigan State, No. 12 Iowa State and No. 25 West Virginia.
Mercyhurst takes on the 25th-ranked Mountaineers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 5.
MORE WEEK #4 NOTABLES
FDU’s 71 three-point field goals are the most for the Knights through their first eight games of the season in 23 years (2002-03 season).
LIU’s Kadidia Toure (Silver Spring, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel (Arizona State/James Madison)) is one of six 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), Western Illinois’ Mia Nicastro (OVC), Wofford’s Queen Ikhiuwu (SoCon)and Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker (WCC).
CCSU’s Kiyah Lewis (Fredericksburg, VA/James Monroe) is one of 29 freshmen in the country to score 24 or more points in a game. Lewis hit the 24-point mark against UMass Lowell on November 15.
Wagner’s Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor (Ondo State, Nigeria/Topfield Secondary School) swatted four shots for the Seahawks against Iona on November 24, which matched a NEC individual game-high this season. Two-time NEC Rookie of the Week Leah Crosby (FDU) also registered four blocks on November 5 at No. 15 Notre Dame.
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: Ava Renninger, FDU
Dec. 8:
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Nov. 10: Kayden Clark, LEM
Nov. 17: Reese Roggenburk, STO
Nov. 24: Leah Crosby, FDU
Dec. 1: Leah Crosby, FDU
Dec. 8: