NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Addisen Sulikowski, New Haven
Forward, Sophomore, 5-10, Saco, ME/Thornton Academy (Saint Anselm)
In a non-conference thriller at New Hampshire on Sunday, Sulikowski netted 16 points while grabbing a season-high seven rebounds for the Chargers. The sophomore forward matched season-bests with six makes from the field and four buckets in seven attempts from beyond the arc. Sulikowski added a pair of steals in New Haven’s narrow five-point setback against the Wildcats. She scored 10 of her 16 points in the first quarter to keep the score even at 14 after the first 10 minutes, while boosting the Chargers to a two-point advantage at half. This marks the first time a New Haven athlete has taken home a NEC Player of the Week award in the Chargers’ debut season as conference member.
NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Reese Downey, FDU
Guard, Freshman, 5-6, Galloway, NJ/Absegami
Downey helped lead the Knights to a 1-1 record last week at the FDU Christmas Classic. The two-time NEC Rookie of the Week averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point land. Downey scored a season-high 15 points in FDU’s 85-57 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday as she went 5-of-8 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 on three-pointers. The freshman guard also dished three assists in the victory over the Hawks. Downey added 10 points, four rebounds and two assists in a setback to Binghamton. The Galloway, NJ native became the second FDU player to earn the distinction twice this season, joining teammate Leah Crosby.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Keona McGee, CSU (So., G)
Last week: 16 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals, 50.0 FG% vs. Clemson
- Tied her season-high points with a team-best 16 points against Clemson on Sunday.
- Set career-highs in minutes (35) and steals (2) in battle with the ACC foe.
Ava Renninger, FDU (So., G)
Last week: 12.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 83.3 FT%
- Scored a team-high 19 points to lead FDU to its 85-57 win over UMES.
- Shot 66.7 percent from the field and 75 percent from three in the victory against the Hawks.
- Leads the NEC in apg (5.2) and is tied for 35th in the national rankings.
Ashley Buragas, LEM (Jr., F)
Last week: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 62.5 FG%, 85.7 FT% vs. SUNY Geneseo
- Posted game-highs of 16 points and seven rebounds in the Dolphins win over their in-state rival.
- Leads the league in field goal percentage, shooting 49-of-97 (50.5) from the field so far this season.
- Averages the 10th-most rebounds per game in the conference with 5.2 per game.
Kadidia Toure, LIU (Sr., F)
Last week: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 71.4 FG%, 80.0 FT% vs. Berkeley (NY)
- Led the Sharks in scoring with 15 points against Berkeley (NY), marking her ninth game of the year with double digit points.
- Went an efficient 5-of-7 from the field in LIU's commanding victory.
- Leads the NEC in ppg (18.8) and rpg (10.2).
Addisen Sulikowski, NHVN (So., F)
Last week: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 46.1 FG%, 57.1 3FG% at New Hampshire
- Tabbed NEC Player of the Week.
- New Haven's leading scorer at New Hampshire on Sunday with 16 points.
- Shot an efficient 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in the Chargers' five-point defeat.
Julia Webster, STO (So., F)
Last week: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 54.5 FG% at No. 12 Vanderbilt
- Paced Stonehill in scoring with 14 points during a road battle against the #12 Vandy.
- Went a perfect 2-for-2 from three-point land.
- Shot 4-of-6 in the second half to score 10 of her points.
#NECWBB BY THE NUMBERS
31 - FDU’s 31 made field goals against UMES on Tuesday are a NEC team season-high vs. a DI opponent this season and the most by a NEC squad since 02/13/25 when CCSU drained 33 FGs at Mercyhurst.
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 on 12/14/25 at UMass Lowell.
61.9 - The Knights shot 61.9 percent (13-21) from beyond the arc in their 85-57 win over UMES, the most efficient shooting outing in the league this season from three-point land.
#NECWBB FAST BREAK
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: CCSU plays its first three NEC games in the New England region as they host LIU and then visit New Haven and Stonehill.
CHICAGO STATE: Sophomore Keona McGee netted a season-high 16 points in the Cougars’ non-conference finale against ACC foe Clemson.
FDU: FDU enters conference play with 19 consecutive victories over NEC opponents after going unbeaten in league play a year ago.
LE MOYNE: Le Moyne opens conference play with a rematch of last year’s NEC quarterfinal matchup that saw the Dolphins defeat SFU, 62-51, on the road.
LIU: LIU boasts the top scoring offense in the league, averaging 68.8 points per game entering league play.
MERCYHURST: The Lakers have battled with a conference-high three AP Top-25 teams this season, taking on No. 12 Iowa State, No. 23 Michigan State and No. 25 West Virginia.
NEW HAVEN: Veteran Aniya McDonald-Perry leads the NEC in steals per game (2.6) and is tied for 54th in Division I.
SAINT FRANCIS: Grad student Shelby Ricks is one of four players in the NEC to register three or more double-doubles this season.
STONEHILL: Former NEC Rookie of the Week Ella Pelletier leads the conference in free throw shooting efficiency, converting 24-of-27 (88.9%) from the charity stripe.
WAGNER: Wagner's 17 steals at Rider on 12/19/25 were the most by Seahawk team since 2008-09 and an NEC season-high against a DI opponent.
#NECWBB NEWS & NOTES
WHAT’S ON TAP?
All 10 #NECWBB squads are in action this weekend as conference play kicks off on Friday, January 2 for the 2025-26 season.
Friday night’s games stretch from 4pm with LIU at CCSU in the opener, and go until 7pm with Wagner hosting Chicago State. Sunday has a full afternoon slate with #NECWBB taking over 12pm, 1pm and 2pm time slots with five games.
BEST START SINCE...
LIU has posted its best record through the first 11 games of the year since 2011-12 when the squad had a 9-2 mark. The Sharks also posted the program’s best start since the ‘11-12 campaign after starting the year with a 4-1 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
14 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 and Doyinsola Modesayor have both registered three this year. Buragas has notched a pair of double-doubles for the Dolphins.
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 recorded 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 36.6 percent of its shots from beyond the arc along with draining an average 9.7 per game for a total of 126 on the year.
As a team, FDU ranks 13th nationally with 9.7 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.
TOUGH COMPETITION
According to the NET rankings as of 12/31/25, Mercyhurst ranks 31st in NET Strength of Schedule (SOS).
The Lakers’ schedule featured three AP top-25 opponents, including No. 23 Michigan State, No. 12 Iowa State and No. 25 West Virginia. All three are Quad 1 opponents along with Syracuse.
MORE WEEK #8 NOTABLES
FDU’s 126 three-point field goals are the most for the Knights through their first 13 games of the season in 23 years (2002-03). Their 126 three-pointers are tied for 14th in NCAA Division I.
LIU’s Kadidia Toure (Silver Spring, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel (Arizona State/James Madison)) is one of six players in NCAA Division I to lead their conference in both points per game (18.8) and rebounds per game (10.2) joining FIU’s Rhema Collins (CUSA), Howard’s Zennia Thomas (MEAC) Murray State’s Sharnecce Currie-Jelks (MVC), Western Illinois’ Mia Nicastro (OVC) and Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker (WCC). Of the six, four players average a double double, which includes Toure.
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: Addisen Sulikowski, NHVN
Jan. 6:
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: Reese Downey, FDU
Jan. 6: