NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kadidia Toure, LIU
Forward, Senior, 6-3, Silver Spring, MD/OurLady of Good Counsel (Arizona State/James Madison)
Toure continued her hot start in conference play last weekend as she led LIU to a 2-0 week on the road. The senior forward averaged 25.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game all while shooting 60.0 percent from the field. Toure notched a pair of double-doubles last weekend, which are her sixth and seventh of the season. In the Sharks’ thrilling 86-81 victory over Mercyhurst, Toure notched a career-high 29 points while grabbing 14 boards and shooting an efficient 12-of-20 on field goals. The Silver Spring, MD native nearly registered a triple-double in LIU’s 15-point win at Saint Francis with 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven dimes. Her performances over the weekend marked her fifth and sixth games with at least 20 points and 10 boards in a game, making her one of four players nationwide to register six or more such outings this season. Toure leads the league in scoring (19.7), rebounding (10.6) and blocks (1.4). Her 19.7 ppg and 10.7 rpg rank 21st and 16th in the country, respectively. The Sharks are currently riding a five-game winning streak and are out to a 4-0 start in conference play for the first time since 2002. This marks Toure’s second NEC Player of the Week award of the 2025-26 campaign, becoming the first LIU player to earn the honor more than once in a season since Brandy Thomas during the 2019-20 season.

NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sofia Wilson, Mercyhurst
Guard, Freshman, 5-7, Avon Lake, OH/Magnificat
Claiming NEC Rookie of the Week accolades in back-to-back weeks, Wilson showed out again during the Lakers’ weekend home stand. The freshman guard averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game. Netting 17 points, Wilson was instrumental in Mercyhurst’s 69-66 comeback victory against Wagner on Saturday, including giving the Lakers’ the lead with 7:42 left in the final frame, which was their first lead of the game since the 4:30 mark of the first quarter. The Avon Lake, OH native also grabbed four boards, dropped three dimes and swiped the ball three times in the win. Wilson also notched her second 20-point outing of the year by scoring 20 in a narrow five-point setback against LIU on Thursday night. She added five assists and four steals against the Sharks. Additionally, Wilson shot efficiently last week going 48.1percent from the field, 45.4 from three and 85.7 from the charity stripe. This is her third NEC Rookie of the Week honor.

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Kiyah Lewis, CCSU (Fr., F)
Last week: 17.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.5 spg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 bpg, 48.0 FG%, 44.4 3FG%, 87.5 FT%

- Dropped 21 points at Stonehill on Friday, notching her second 20-point outing of the year.
- Ranks fifth in the conference for scoring with 12.0 ppg.
- Averages the second-most blocks per game with 1.2. 

Lucia Noin, CCSU (Sr., F)
Last week: 17.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 50.0 FG%

- Registered a career-high 24 points against Le Moyne on Saturday.
- Dished a career-high five assists at Stonehill.
- Ranks second in the conference for defensive rebounds per game (4.7).

Ava Renninger, FDU (So., G)
Last week: 14.0 ppg, 6.5 apg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 spg, 38.0 FG%

- Matched her career-high of eight assists in FDU's win over New Haven on Saturday.
- Tops the NEC rankings in apg (5.4), assist/turnover ratio (1.42) and minutes per game (35.5). 
- Ranks second in the conference for scoring (14.1) and free throw percentage (80.9).

Kadidia Toure, LIU (Sr., F)
Last week: 25.5 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 4.5 apg, 3.0 spg, 2.0 bpg, 60.0 FG%, 76.9 FT%

- Named NEC Player of the Week for the second time season.
- Registered a career-high 29 points in LIU's win at Mercyhurst on Thursday.
- Notched her sixth and seventh double-doubles of the season last week, which is a league-best.
- Leads the NEC in ppg (19.7), rpg (10.6) and bpg (1.4). 

Cici Hernandez, MU (So., G)
Last week: 18.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 44.0 FG%, 41.1 3FG%, 77.7 FT%

- Scored a career-high 25 points against LIU on Thursday.
- Drained six three-pointers in the Lakers' five-point setback against the Sharks.
- Shot 50.0 percent from the field to finish with 11 points in Mercyhurst's win over Wagner on Saturday.

Lena Walz, MU (So., G)
Last week: 16.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 spg, 42.3 FG%, 38.4 3FG%, 66.7 FT%

- Notched a career-high 22 points while shooting 44.0 percent from the field in a 69-66 win over Wagner.
- Added 11 points, five boards, three assists and two steals against LIU on Thursday night.
- Canned four three-pointers against the Seahawks.

Sofia Wilson, MU (Fr., G)
Last week: 18.5 ppg, 4.0 apg, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 spg, 48.1 FG%, 45.4 3FG%, 85.7 FT%

- Tabbed NEC Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks and the third time this season.
-  Netted 20 points in the Lakers' narrow defeat against the Sharks.
- Tied for third in the conference with 2.9 apg.

Shelby Ricks, SFU (Gr., F)
Last week: 17.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 2.0 apg, 45.4 FG%, 77.7 3FG%, 100.0 FT%

- Scored a career-high 29 points in SFU's 75-67 win over Wagner on Thursday night.
- Had nine points in the final 10 minutes to secure the victory for the Red Flash.
- Her 11.9 ppg are sixth in the conference.

Brooke Paquette, STO (Jr., G)
Last week: 14.0 ppg, 5.0 apg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 spg, 42.8 FG%

- Netted 18 points and dished six assists in Stonehill's 71-53 win over CCSU.
- Leads the league in free throw percentage (89.5).
- Ranks third among the league's players with 13.8 ppg.

Irene Fernandez de Caleya, WAG (Sr., G)
Last week: 15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.0 spg, 50.0 FG%, 72.7 FT%

- Scored a season-high 20 points at Mercyhurst on Saturday.
- Shot an efficient 53.3 percent from the field against the Lakers.
- Fourth in the NEC with a 46.6 field goal percentage.

#NECWBB BY THE NUMBERS

29 - Last Thursday night, LIU’s Kadidia Toure and SFU’s Shelby Ricks each netted 29 points in their respective contests. They are tied for the most points in a NEC game this season. 

4 - LIU’s Kadidia Toure is one of only 4 players nationwide with six or more games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds with her notching two such outings last weekend.

91 - FDU became the first NEC squad to drop at least 91 points in a conference game in nearly five years with the last time being when Saint Francis tallied 91 against Bryant on 03/11/19. Its 91 points are also the most by a NEC team against a DI opponent this year.

#NECWBB FAST BREAK

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: Senior Lucia Noin set a new career-high in points with 24 against Le Moyne on Saturday afternoon.

CHICAGO STATE: The Cougars won a nail-biter, 51-48, against Stonehill on Saturday afternoon as they were boosted by 22 points in the paint.

FDU: FDU owns 23 straight wins over NEC opponents with 12 of those coming at home. The Knights will hit the road twice this weekend.

LE MOYNE: Junior Ashley Buragas notched her third double-double of the year last week with a 14-point, 13-rebound performance at CCSU on Saturday.

LIU: LIU is 4-0 to start out conference play for the first time since 2002 and the first time in the Sharks era.

MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst had two players set career-highs in points last week with Cici Hernandez scoring 25 against LIU and Lena Walz with 22 versus Wagner.

NEW HAVEN: New Haven shot 55.8 percent from the field in its conference opening win over Stonehill, which is a league-best in NEC contests.

SAINT FRANCIS: Grad student Shelby Ricks netted a career-high 29 points in the Red Flash’s 75-67 win over Wagner on Thursday night.

STONEHILL: Junior Brooke Paquette hit the 800-point mark for her career last week and now sits at 822, leaving her 178 points away from the 1,000 mark.

WAGNER: Junior Irena Fernandez de Caleya set a new career-high in points at Mercyhurst on Saturday by scoring 20 for the Seahawks.

#NECWBB NEWS & NOTES

WHAT’S ON TAP?
Week three of league play tips off on Thursday night with a pair of games starting at 6:00 p.m. and three contests capping off the night at 7:00 p.m.

Action continues on Saturday afternoon with a potential matchup between the last two undefeated squads in the conference between longtime rivals FDU and LIU as the Knights visit the Sharks in Brooklyn.

NEC on RYZ
Saturday afternoon’s contest between LIU and FDU in Brooklyn, NY is the RYZ Network Game of the Week. The 2:00 p.m. game will be aired on the FAST channel while streaming simultaneously on NEC Front Row.

RYZ Sports Network brings the conference broader exposure with school-produced men’s and women’s Game of the Week broadcasts on its linear FAST channel, carried on Samsung TV+, Roku, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Live, Xumo, Xfinity, LG, Fubo and more. RYZ also connects with millions of viewers through the Atmosphere OOH network, bringing live sports to restaurants, gyms, hotels and other venues nationwide.

BIG TIME TOURE
Senior transfer Kadidia Toure (Silver Spring, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel (Arizona State/James Madison)) continues to make her mark on the league in her first season with LIU, bringing home NEC Player of the Week accolades this past week.

The 6-3 forward registered a pair of double-doubles last week to bring her total up to seven on the year. Toure went for a career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds at Mercyhurst along with 22 points and 10 boards at Saint Francis.

Toure is the only NEC player to register 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in a game more than once this season. She is one of only four players nationwide with six or more games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. 

Addittionally, Toure is one of five DI players to lead their respective conference in both points and rebounds per game. Of the five, three average a double-double, which includes Toure.

SCORING MILESTONE
Stonehill junior guard Brooke Paquette (Hudson, NH/Bishop Guertin) reached the 800-point milestone for her career last week off a three-pointer in the second quarter of Thursday’s 71-53 win over CCSU.

The Preseason All-NEC pick, now, sits at 822 career points with the Skyhawks and is 178 points away from reaching the 1,000 mark.

Paquette aims to become the 34th 1,000-point scorer in Stonehill program history and the first in the Skyhawks’ DI era.

CLOSE GAMES
Of the 10 #NECWBB contests, six of them were decided by eight points or less with a pair of three-point games, one four-point contest, one game won by five and two by eight.

The games were split evenly between home and away squads with each claiming four last week.

UNDEFEATED
Two #NECWBB squads remain unbeaten in league play with FDU and LIU out to 4-0 starts. The Knights and Sharks tangle this Saturday, January 17th at the Steinberg Wellness Center in Brooklyn.

FDU is 4-0 to start NEC play for the second time in the past three seasons, while LIU is 4-0 to begin NEC play for the first time since 2002.

PERFECT SHOOTING
With a 10-for-10 outing from the field in a 70-51 win over CCSU on 01/04/26, Aniya McDonald-Perry (Middletown, CT/Putnam Science Academy (Saint Rose)) became the first NEC player in nearly 22 years - and the only one since the start of the 1998–99 season - to go perfect from the field with at least 10 makes. She finished the contest with 22 points after knocking down a pair of free throws, as well.

The senior forward joined NEC Hall of Famer Beth Swick, who went 10-for-10 for Saint Francis against Purdue in the 2004 NCAA Tournament (3/21/04).

She is one of only four players nationwide this season to make 10-plus shots without a miss.

McDonald-Perry leads the conference in field goal percentage with an efficient 52.0 percent.

THE BIG 5-0
Wagner head coach Terrell Coburn earned his 50th win as the Seahawks’ head coach with a 62-51 victory over Chicago State on 01/02/26,

Coburn is the fifth head coach in Wagner program history to hit the 50-win mark with the Seahawks and one of four current NEC coaches to reach 50 victories with their current school.

NEC WIN STREAK
FDU has won 23 straight games against conference opponents with 12 of those wins coming at home during that streak.

The Knights have claimed 13 consecutive home victories against NEC rivals, with their first home victory of this streak coming in a 2024 NEC quarterfinal against LIU on 03/11/25.

SHARP SHOOTIN’ KNIGHTS
Defending conference champion FDU is the top three-point shooting team in the league, making 35.3 percent of its shots from beyond the arc along with draining an average of 9.3 per game for a total of 158 on the year.

As a team, FDU ranks 15th nationally with 9.3 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.

FDU’s 158 three-point field goals are the most for the Knights through their first 17 games of the season in 23 years (2002-03). Their 143 three-pointers are tied for 15th in NCAA Division I.

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
16 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, Wagner’s Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor, Lucia Noin of CCSU and LIU’s Laura Molnárová are the only athletes to have turned the trick more than once. 

Toure leads the way with seven double-doubles with McDonald-Perry not far behind with five. Buragas owns four, while both Ricks and Doyinsola Modesayor have each notched three.

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 nine players in the country to grab 22 or more boards in a single game this season.

LEAGUE PLAY
Each #NECWBB will partake in an 18-game double round-robin schedule under the conference’s 10-team alignment this academic year. The schedule runs 10 weeks with the teams playing every Thursday and Saturday until Thursday, March 5th.

TOURNEY TIME
The NEC Women’s Basketball Championship will remain an eight-team playoff format in 2025-26 with every game being played at the home of the higher seed. After the quarterfinals, advancing teams will be reseeded so the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed.

WHO’S IN THE MIX?
With Mercyhurst now postseason eligible, nine of the 10 eligible teams will participate in this year’s NEC Tournament. NEC newcomer New Haven is not yet eligible for conference postseason play.

Stonehill has completed its Division I reclassification and is now eligible for the NCAA Tournament for the first time this season. Le Moyne and Mercyhurst are ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to their current statuses as Division I reclassifying institutions.

If a reclassifying institutions wins the NEC Tournament championships, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC’s automatic qualifier as per current policy. If two reclassifying member reach the conference final, the NEC will stage an “AQ” game between the two non-advancing semifinal teams. This will serve as a decisive game to determine the team that will secure the NEC’s spot in the NCAA Tournament. The “AQ” game will occur this season if both Le Moyne and Mercyhurst reach conference tournament final.

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: Aniya McDonald-Perry, NHVN
Jan. 12: Kadidia Toure, LIU
Jan. 19:

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: Sofia Wilson, MU
Jan. 12: Sofia Wilson, MU
Jan. 19: