NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brooke Paquette, Stonehill
Guard, Junior, 5-8, Hudson, NH/Bishop Guertin
Averaging a near double-double last week, Paquette led Stonehill to a 1-1 record at the Hatter Classic over the weekend. In a 74-68 victory against Bethune-Cookman, the reigning NEC Most Improved Player dropped 18 points off 60 percent shooting while grabbing five boards. Paquette added her first career double-double at Stetson with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, while going a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe in the Skyhawks' six-point setback. The Preseason All-NEC selection finished the week averaging 17.5 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game and 1.5 assists per game along with shooting 92.3 percent from the free throw line. Paquette owns the second-best free throw percentage in the league by shooting 88.6 percent from the charity stripe. The NEC all-star also sits at third in the league rankings in scoring with 13.4 ppg. This is Paquette's second career NEC Player of the Week honor.
NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Ella Pelletier, Stonehill
Guard, Freshman, 6-0, South Paris, ME/Oxford Hills
Pelletier shined on the court at the Hatter Classic over the weekend as Stonehill went 1-1 in its trip to the Sunshine state. The freshman guard averaged 14.0 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game all while shooting an efficient 39.1 percent from the field. Pelletier netted 17 points and grabbed eight board as she shot 50.0 percent from the field and a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe in the Skyhawks' 74-68 triumph over Bethune-Cookman. She also dropped four dimes and notched two steals in the win. Pelletier added a double-double off 11 points and 10 rebounds with an assist and a steal in a 71-65 defeat at Stetson. The South Paris, ME native is the second Stonehill player to be tabbed NEC Rookie of the Week this season, joining Reese Roggenburk, who earned the award on November 17, 2025.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Kailee McDonald, FDU (So., G)
Last week: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 50.0 FG%, 46.2 3FG% vs. Ursinus
- FDU's leading scorer in its sixth straight victory.
- Knocked down six three-points in FDU's 85-19 win over Ursinus on Saturday, which marked her third game this year with five or more baskets from deep.
- Notched her second 20-point game of the season.
- Leads the NEC in three-point field goals (32) and three-pointers per game (2.91).
Erica Hall, MU (So., F)
Last week: 20.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 2.0 spg, 35.7 FG%, 60.0 3FG%, 92.3 FT%
- Notched a career-high 26 points and career-best nine rebounds while shooting 84.6 percent from the field at Mount St. Mary's on Monday night.
- Swiped the ball three times along with one blocking one shot against the Mountaineers.
- Added 14 points off 55.6 percent shooting from the field at Syracuse on Friday.
Addisen Sulikowski, NHVN (So., F)
Last week: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 75.0 FG% vs. St. John's
- Went an efficient 6-of-8 from the field in New Haven's home contest against BIG EAST foe St. John's.
- Posted her second-highest point total of the year against the Red Storm on Wednesday.
Shelby Ricks, SFU (Gr., F)
Last week: 12.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.5 bpg, 35.5 FG%
- Registered a pair of double-doubles on the road last week against Pitt and Fordham.
- Notched back-to-back doubles for the first time in her career.
- One of three players in NEC to post three or more double-doubles this season.
- Has scored 10 or more points in three consecutive contests.
Brooke Paquette, STO (Jr., G)
Last week: 17.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 92.3 FT%
- Tabbed NEC Player of the Week.
- Recorded her first career double-double off 17 points and 13 rebounds at Stetson on Saturday.
- Shot 60.0 percent from three in Stonehill's 74-68 win over Bethune-Cookman.
- Ranks second in the NEC for free throw percentage (88.6) and third in ppg (13.4).
Ella Pelletier, STO (Fr., G)
Last week: 14.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 100.0 FT%, 39.1 FG%
- Named NEC Rookie of the Week.
- Went a perfect 9-fo-9 from the free throw line last week.
- Leads the conference in shooting from the charity stripe, making 91.3 percent of her free throws.
- Notched a double-double against Stetson on Saturday with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Julia Webster, STO (So., F)
Last week: 15.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 1.0 apg, 54.5 FG%, 50.0 3FG%, 80.0 FT%
- Registered double digit outings in back-to-back games at the Hatter Classic, including a season-high 17 in the win against Bethune-Cookman on Friday.
- Shot an efficient 12-of-22 from the field.
- Swatted a career-high four shots at Stetson on Saturday.
#NECWBB BY THE NUMBERS
23 - FDU has won 23 straight games on its home court in Hackensack, NJ with its last home loss coming on Febuary 24, 2024 against Le Moyne.
16 - LIU's Kadidia Toure is one of only 16 players nationwide with three or more games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds with her last such outing being on 12/14/25 at UMass Lowell.
16 - Stonehill went a perfect 16-for-16 from the charity stripe at Stetson on Saturday. The Skyhawks are the only NEC team to shoot 100 percent from the free line with seven or more free throw attempts in a game this season.
4 - The Skyhawks are one of four teams nationwide to be perfect from the free throw line with 16 or more free throw attempts in a single contest.
#NECWBB FAST BREAK
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: Sophomore Jessica Farrell notched a career-high 19 points against New Hampshire on Wednesday morning.
CHICAGO STATE: Sophomore Aiyanna Culver had 23 points on Monday as the Cougars nearly knocked off Big 12 foe Arizona.
FDU: FDU is currently riding a six-game win streak with the Knights hitting the harwood next on Monday, December 29 against Binghamton.
LE MOYNE: The Dolphins close out their non-conference slate with a home match up against SUNY Geneseo on Tuesday, December 30.
LIU: LIU boasts the top scoring offense in the league, averaging 67.0 points per game.
MERCYHURST: Sophomore Erica Hall registered career-highs in both points (26) and rebounds (9) on Monday night at Mount St. Mary's.
NEW HAVEN: Veteran Aniya McDonald-Perry leads the NEC in steals per game (2.9) and is tied for 34th in Division I.
SAINT FRANCIS: Grad student Shelby Ricks registered back-to-back double-doubles last week in road games against Pitt and Fordham.
STONEHILL: Reigning NEC Player of the Week Brooke Paquette notched her first career double-double off 17 points and 13 rebounds on Saturday at Stetson.
WAGNER: Wagner's 17 steals at Rider on 12/19/25 are the most by a Seahawk team since 2008-09 and are a NEC season-high against a DI opponent.
#NECWBB NEWS & NOTES
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Seven #NECWBB squads hit the court this winter break ahead of conference play beginning on January 2.
Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU and Wagner will all play their non-conference finales on their home court, while New Haven hits the road for one more contest before league play.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
FDU's 85-19 victory over Ursinus on Saturday marked the Knights' 23rd straight victory on their home court, which is the fourth longest streak in Division I. The only teams to have a longer home win streak than the Knights are TCU (34), Texas (33) and Tennessee Tech (26).
The streak started on March 11, 2024 when FDU hosted LIU in a NEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup that saw the Knights win, 71-59.
Of the 23 victories, 12 of them have come against conference opponents with four of them being NEC Tournament contests, including last year's championship game that saw FDU clinch its third title in program history with a 66-49 victory over Stonehill.
The Knights will put their winning streak back on the line while hosting the FDU Christmas Classic as FDU faces off with Binghamton on 12/29 and either UMES or Penn on 12/30.
BEST START SINCE...
LIU has posted its best record through the first 10 games of the year since 2017-18 when the team posted an identical 4-6 mark, which ended with LIU finishing fifth in the conference standings.
The Sharks started the season 4-1, which was the program's best start since the 2011-12 campaign.
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
13 NEC players from eight different schools have notched a double-double this season, with only five players hitting the milestone more than once.
Kadidia Toure of LIU, Le Moyne's Ashley Buragas, Aniya McDonald-Perry from New Haven, Saint Francis' Shelby Ricks and Wagner's Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor are the only athletes to have turned the trick more than once.
Toure and McDonald-Perry have both posted four double-doubles, while Ricks recorded two of her three in a pair of road games last week. The trio are the only NEC players to notch
Toure is the only player to register 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in a game more than once with her most recent one coming in a 28-point, 13-rebound outing at UMass Lowell on 12/14/25. She is one of only 16 players nationwide with three or more games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Toure and McDonald-Perry have both notched a conference-high five outings with 10 or more rebounds.
SHARP SHOOTIN' KNIGHTS
Defending conference champion FDU is the top three-point shooting team in the league, making 35.9 percent of its shots from beyond the arc along with draining an average 9.8 per game for a total of 108 on the year.
As a team, FDU ranks 12th nationally with 9.8 three-pointers per game.
Sophomore guard Kailee McDonald (Lowell, MA/Worcester Academy) set a new NEC season-high with seven made three-pointers in the Knights' 69-61 win over Lafayette on 12/04/25. McDonald also established a new career-high with 23 points en route to garnering NEC Player of the Week accolades on 12/08/25.
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 11/09/25, 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 four players in the country to grab 22 boards in a single game this season.
BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE
In it's debut campaign as a NEC member, New Haven is leading the conference in six different team statistic categories entering Week 8.
These include rebounding offense (39.6), rebounding defense (32.3), rebounding margin (+7.3), steals per game (9.5), offensive rebounds per game (16.6) and offensive rebound percentage (43.2).
TOUGH COMPETITION
According to the NET rankings as of 12/21/25, Mercyhurst ranks 32nd in NET Strength of Schedule (SOS).
The Lakers' schedule has featured three AP top-25 opponents, including No. 23 Michigan State, No. 12 Iowa State and No. 25 West Virginia. All of which are Quad 1 opponents along with Syracuse.
Le Moyne also boasts a top-100 toughest schedule in the nation by ranking 97th in the NET SOS. The Dolphins have taken on one AP Top-10 opponent in No. 7 Baylor along with playing four teams from Quads 1 and 2.
MORE WEEK #7 NOTABLES
FDU's 102 three-point field goals are the most for the Knights through their first 11 games of the season in 23 years (2002-03 season) and most since 2019-20 (86). Their 102 three-pointers are tied for 30th in NCAA Division I.
LIU's Kadidia Toure (Silver Spring, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel (Arizona State/James Madison)) is one of five players in NCAA Division I to lead their conference in both points per game (19.2) and rebounds per game (10.3) joining Richmond's Maggie Doogan (A-10), FIU's Rhema Collins (CUSA), Howard's Zennia Thomas (MEAC) and Western Illinois' Mia Nicastro (OVC). Of the five, three players average a double double, which includes LIU's Toure.
CCSU's Kiyah Lewis (Fredericksburg, VA/James Monroe) is one of 53 freshmen in the country to score 24 or more points in a game. Lewis hit the 24-point mark against UMass Lowell on 11/15/25.
FDU sophomore Kailee McDonald is one of 54 players in Division I to make seven or more three-pointers in a game.
Stonehill's Brooke Paquette (Hudson, NH/Bishop Guertin) is one point short of the career 750-point mark after a pair of double digit outings this past weekend. The Skyhawks are back in action on Sunday, December 28 at No. 12 Vanderbilt.
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: Kailee McDonald, FDU
Dec. 15: Ava Renninger, FDU
Dec. 22: Brooke Paquette, STO
Dec. 31:
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: Reese Downey, FDU
Dec. 15: Sofia Wilson, MU
Dec. 22: Elle Pelletier, STO
Dec. 31: