NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Aniya McDonald-Perry, New Haven
Forward, Senior, 5-9, Middletown, CT/Putnam Science Academy (Saint Rose)
McDonald-Perry led New Haven to an unbeaten start in the program’s first pair of NEC contests. The senior forward averaged 22.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.0 assists per game while shooting an astounding 91.3 percent (21-23) from the field. Her weekend was highlighted by a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double in the Chargers’ 70-51 win over Central Connecticut. McDonald-Perry went a perfect 10-for-10 on field goal attempts against the Blue Devils, becoming the first NEC player in nearly 22 years to go perfect from the field with at least 10 makes. She joined NEC Hall of Famer Beth Swink, who went 10-for-10 for Saint Francis against Purdue on March 21, 2004, in the NCAA Tournament. The Middletown, CT native added a 23-point, 7-rebound performance - shooting 11-13 from the floor - in New Haven’s league opening 66-61 win over Stonehill. Additionally, McDonald-Perry record three steals in each game last week, marking eight games this season where she has swiped the ball three or more times. She leads the league in steals per game (2.7), offensive rebounds per game (4.2) and field goal percentage (53.6). This marked the second consecutive week a New Haven athlete has earned NEC Player of the Week accolades after Addisen Sulikowski claimed the honor last week.
NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sofia Wilson, Mercyhurst
Guard, Freshman, 5-7, Avon Lake, OH/Magnificat
Wilson shined in Mercyhurst’s opening weekend of NEC play. Leading the Lakers to a 1-1 record, the two-time NEC Rookie of the Week averaged 18 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. In Mercyhurst’s 89-72 win at Le Moyne, Wilson netted 19 points off nine field goals while dishing five assists and nabbing four steals as Mercyhurst set a program record for points in a game against a Division I opponent. The Lakers’ 89 points against the Dolphins were the most by an NEC team in a game since in nearly four years. Wilson added a 17-point outing against the defending NEC champion Knights while also dropping two dimes and recording a pair of steals. The Avon Lake, OH native was previously tabbed NEC Rookie of the Week on December 15, 2025.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Jessica Farrell, CCSU (So., G)
Last week: 18.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 spg, 44.0 FG%, 80.0 3FG%, 76.9 FT%
- Tied her career-high in points with 19 against LIU.
- Went 4-of-5 from three last week, including a perfect 3-for-3 at New Haven.
- Has notched 16 or more points in four the Blue Devils' last five games.
Rebecca Osei-Owusu, FDU (Jr., F)
Last week: 14.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 68.4 FG%
- Registered her first career double-double off 17 points and 10 rebounds in FDU's 68-46 victory at Mercyhurst.
- Her 17 points were a new career-high while the 10 boards matched her career-best.
- Added 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the Knights' 73-28 win at Saint Francis.
Ashley Buragas, LEM (Jr., F)
Last week: 17.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 63.2 FG%
- Recorded her third double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds while shooting an impressive 70.0 percent from the field against Mercyhurst on Sunday.
- One of five NEC players to post three or more double-doubles this season.
- Also posted 16 points and grabbed five boards in Le Moyne's 73-69 win over SFU on Friday.
Sierra Linnin, LEM (Sr., G)
Last week: 16.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 spg, 48.0 FG%, 37.5 3FG%
- Posted her second 20-point outing of the season with a team-high 21 against Mercyhurst.
- Notched 11 points in the Dolphins' triumph over the Red Flash.
- Tied for second in the league for three-point field goals made per game with 2.2.
Kadidia Toure, LIU (Sr., F)
Last week: 18.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.5 bpg, 46.2 FG%, 40.0 3FG%, 84.6 FT%
- Registered her fifth double-double of the year and her fourth game with 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds with 23 and 16 at CCSU on Friday.
- One of two players in the conference to average a double-double last week.
- Led LIU to its first 2-0 start in league play since 2016.
- Ranks first in the NEC in ppg (18.8), rpg (10.4) and bpg (1.3).
Sofia Wilson, MU (Fr., G)
Last week: 18.0 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.0 rpg, 3.0 spg, 41.0 FG%
- Named NEC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season.
- Led the Lakers in scoring for both of their games last week with 17 against FDU and 19 at Le Moyne.
- Dropped five dimes and swiped four steals in the win over the Dolphins.
Lindsay Hogan, NHVN (Sr., F)
Last week: 14.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.0 apg, 47.8 FG%
- Shot an effiicent 62.5 percent from the field in New Haven's narrow five-point win over Stonehill.
- Scored 12 of her 14 points in the first quarter to boost the Chargers' to a 22-8 lead against CCSU after the first frame.
- Ranks fourth in the NEC in scoring with 3.5 ppg.
Aniya McDonald-Perry, NHVN (Sr., F)
Last week: 22.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.0 spg, 2.0 apg, 91.3 FG%
- Tabbed NEC Player of the Week.
- Went a perfect 10-for-10 while recording her fifth double-double of the year via 22 points and 11 rebounds against CCSU.
- Added 23 points in the Chargers' NEC opener against Stonehill.
- Leads the NEC in field goal percentage (53.6), steals per game (2.7) and offensive rebounds per game (4.2)
Brooke Paquette, STO (Jr., G)
Last week: 18.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 100.0 FT%
- Posted a season-best 21 points against Wagner on Sunday.
- Scored eight points in the final six minutes to mount a late Stonehill comeback attempt versus the Seahawks.
- Went a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe last week and leads in the NEC in free throw percentage at percent 90.9 on the year.
- Netted 15 points at New Haven on Friday.
Irene Fernandez de Caleya, WAG (Sr., G)
Last week: 13.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.5 spg, 56.2 FG%
- Posted a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds in Wagner's thrilling 62-59 win at Stonehill on Sunday.
- Provided a season-high 14 points in the Seahawks' NEC opening night triumph vs. Chicago State.
- One of two NEC players to average a double-double last week.
#NECWBB BY THE NUMBERS
6 - With her 10-for-10 performance from the field in Sunday’s 70-51 win over CCSU, New Haven’s Aniya McDonald-Perry became one of 6 players nationwide this season to make 10+ shots without a miss.
10 - LIU’s Kadidia Toure is one of only 10 players nationwide with four or more games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds with her last such outing coming last Friday at CCSU.
89 - Mercyhurst’s 89 points in its win over Le Moyne on Sunday were the most in a conference regular season game in nearly four years and the most for a road team in almost seven seasons.
#NECWBB FAST BREAK
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: Sophomore Jessica Farrell has scored 16 or more points in four of the Blue Devils’ last five games.
CHICAGO STATE: The Cougars this week host both NEC unanimous preseason favorite FDU along with Stonehill, which was picked to finish 2nd in the preseason rankings.
FDU: FDU owns 21 straight wins over NEC opponents with 11 of those coming at home during that stretch. It plays its first home league game of the year on Sunday against New Haven.
LE MOYNE: Le Moyne averaged a conference-best 72.5 points per game last week in a pair of home contests against Saint Francis and Mercyhurst.
LIU: LIU is 2-0 to start out conference play for the first time since 2016 and the first time in the Sharks era.
MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst’s 89 points in its victory at Le Moyne on Sunday were the most for the Lakers against a Division I opponent in program history.
NEW HAVEN: Veteran Aniya McDonald-Perry swiped the ball 3 times on Sunday vs. CCSU, marking the eighth game she has recorded 3 or more steals this season.
SAINT FRANCIS: Grad student Shelby Ricks netted a career-high 21 points in the Red Flash’s conference opener at Le Moyne.
STONEHILL: Junior Brooke Paquette went a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe during Stonehill’s first two league contests last weekend.
WAGNER: Wagner is 2-0 in NEC play for the first time since 2022-23 when the Seahawks began their conference slate with a 6-0 mark.
#NECWBB NEWS & NOTES
WHAT’S ON TAP?
Week two of league play tips off on Thursday night with three games starting at 6:00 p.m. and two contests capping off the night at 7:00 p.m.
Action continues on Saturday afternoon with a potential matchup between two undefeated squads with NEC newcomer New Haven visiting defending conference champ FDU.
NEC on RYZ
Thursday night’s contest between LIU and Mercyhurst in Erie, PA is the RYZ Network Game of the Week. The 6:00 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.
PERFECT SHOOTING
With a 10-for-10 outing from the field in Sunday’s 70-51 win over CCSU, 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 six players nationwide this season to make 10-plus shots without a miss.
McDonald-Perry lifted her season field goal percentage from 43.8 percent to 53.6 percent over the two games, which is now a conference-best.
THE BIG 5-0
Wagner head coach Terrell Coburn earned his 50th win as the Seahawks’ head coach with Friday’s 62-51 victory over Chicago State.
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 21 straight games against conference opponents with 11 of those wins coming at home during that streak.
The Knights have claimed 12 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.
FDU puts its home winning streak on the line this Sunday when its hosts New Haven.
ROOKIE LEADERS
CCSU’s Kiyah Lewis (Fredericksburg, VA/James Monroe) leads all NEC rookies in scoring with 11.0 ppg, which is tied for ninth in the conference. Lewis also owns the top free throw percentage (72.2) among the league’s freshmen.
FDU’s Leah Crosby (Plainfield, NJ/St. Thomas Aquinas) averages the most rebounds per game among NEC freshmen with 6.2 rpg, which is ninth among all NEC players.
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 and McDonald-Perry both own five double-doubles, while Ricks, Buragas and Doyinsola Modesayor have both registered three this year.
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 22-point, 16-rebound outing at CCSU on Friday. She is one of only 10 players nationwide with four or more games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Toure and McDonald-Perry have both recorded a conference-high six outings with 10 or more rebounds.
SHARP SHOOTIN’ KNIGHTS
Defending conference champion FDU is the top three-point shooting team in the league, making 36.5 percent of its shots from beyond the arc along with draining an average 9.5 per game for a total of 143 on the year.
As a team, FDU ranks 13th nationally with 9.5 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 01/04.26, Mercyhurst ranks 54th 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 #9 NOTABLES
FDU’s 143 three-point field goals are the most for the Knights through their first 15 games of the season in 23 years (2002-03). Their 143 three-pointers are tied for 17th in NCAA Division I.
LIU’s Kadidia Toure (Silver Spring, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel (Arizona State/James Madison)) is one of seven players in NCAA Division I to lead their conference in both points per game (18.8) and rebounds per game (10.2) joining Maine’s Adrianna Smith (America East), FIU’s Rhema Collins (C-USA), 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 seven, 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: Aniya McDonald-Perry, NHVN
Jan. 12:
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: