INFLUXER/NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kadidia Toure, LIU
Forward, Senior, Silver Spring, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel (Arizona State/James Madison)
Toure showed out once again on her way to taking home her third Influxer/NEC Player of the Week award. The senior forward stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and two steals in a nail-biting 78-74 overtime win over New Haven. Toure came up big for the Sharks as she scored 10 of LIU’s 16 fourth quarter points. Her five blocks were a new career-best. Toure went an impressive 10-of-16 from the field against the Chargers as LIU improved to 11-2 in league play. The Silver Spring, MD native has now recorded 10 double-doubles on the season, which is 25th in the country. The outing also marked her second straight and eighth game of the year where she has scored at least 20 points and grabbed at least 10 boards. She is one of five players nationwide to record eight games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Toure has managed to pull down 17 or more rebounds in her last two games. The Arizona State transfer leads the NEC in scoring, rebounding and blocks with 18.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 1.6 bpg.
INFLUXER/NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Jasmine McKay, New Haven
Guard, Freshman, West Babylon, NY/North Babylon
Click HERE for Jasmine McKay's Influxer page.
McKay led all rookies in scoring last week with an impressive 21 points on the road against LIU. The freshman guard added three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals to go along with her strong scoring outing. McKay cashed in on a pair of three-pointers down the stretch against the Sharks including one to tie the game up at 65 with 1:17 left in the game. The West Babylon, NY native also drained a two-point jumper with 17 ticks left on the clock in overtime to cut the New Haven deficit to two, but the Chargers came up short on the road. McKay shot 36.8 percent from the field on her way to a season-high in points. This marks the first time a Charger has been tabbed Influxer/NEC Rookie of the Week since New Haven has made its NEC debut.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Madlena Gerke, FDU (Gr., G/F)
Last week: 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 54.5 FG%, 54.5 3FG% at CCSU
- Cashed in on six three-pointers during FDU's win at CCSU.
- Ranks third in the conference for three-pointer made per game with 2.4.
- FDU remains unbeaten in conference play with a perfect 13-0 mark.
Ashley Buragas, LEM (Jr., F)
Last week: 30 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 64.7 FG%, 80.0 FT% at Chicago State
- Scored a career-high 30 points in a win at Chicago State last week.
- First Dolphin to drop at least 30 points in a game since joining the NEC.
- Shot an efficient 11-of-17 from the floor.
- Just the second NEC player to hit the 30-point mark during conference play.
Sierra Linnin, LEM (Sr., G)
Last week: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 45.4 FG%, 50.0 3FG% at Chicago State
- Cashed in on four three-pointers during the Dolphins' four-point win at CSU
- Went a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe against the Cougars.
- Dished out a pair of assists on Saturday.
Solangelei Akridge, LIU (Jr., G)
Last week: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 54.5 FG%, 75.0 FT% vs. New Haven
- Scored six of LIU's 11 points in overtime to help secure the win.
- Drained a late three-point basket to extend the lead to two posessions with 59 seconds left.
- Swatted a caree-high two blocks against the Chargers.
Kadidia Toure, LIU (Sr., F)
Last week: 26 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 blocks, 2 steals, 62.5 FG%. vs. New Haven
- Tabbed the Influxer/NEC Player of the Week for the third time this season.
- Blocked a career-high five shots in the OT win.
- Has scored at least 20 points and grabbed at least 17 boards in back-to-back games.
- Registered her 10th double-double of the year, which is 25th in the nation.
Janessa Williams, LIU (Jr., G)
Last week: 17 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 41.6 FG%, 100.0 FT% vs. New Haven
- Recorded her third double-double of the year off 17 points and 11 rebounds in a OT win over New Haven.
- Marked her eighth career double-double.
- Went a perfect 6-of-r6 from the free throw line.
Cici Hernandez, MU (So., G)
Last week: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 41.6 FG%, 36.3 3FG% vs. Saint Francis
- Drained four shots from beyond the arc on Saturday against SFU.
- Produced a 41.6 clip from the field.
- Ranks third in the NEC in scoring with 13.5 ppg.
Lena Walz, MU (So., G)
Last week: 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 52.9 FG%, 61.5 3FG% vs. Saint Francis
- Canned a NEC season individual game-high 8 three-pointers in the Lakers' win over SFU.
- Shot an impressive 61.5 percent from the beyond the arc along with a 52.9 clip from the floor.
- Leads the NEC in three-point field goal percentage (40.6).
Jasmine McKay, NHVN (Fr., G)
Last week: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 36.8 FG% at LIU
- Named Influxer/NEC Rookie of the Week.
- Dropped a season-high 21 points at LIU on Saturday.
- Drained two shots from beyond the arc, including a clutch game-tying one late in the fourth.
- Led all rookies in scoring last week.
#NECWBB BY THE NUMBERS
8 - Mercyhurst’s Lena Walz drained 8 three-pointers vs. SFU on Saturday, which is a NEC season individual game-high. She is one of 39 players nationwide to make 8 or more three’s in a game.
2 - LIU’s Kadidia Toure is one of only 2 players nationwide with three or more games of at least 20 points and 15 rebounds with her last such outing coming on Saturday vs. New Haven.
32 - FDU owns 32 consecutive regular season wins over NEC opponents after a 13-0 start to league play. The Knights are just 3 wins away from beating the all-time NEC regular season win streak (34).
#NECWBB FASTBREAK
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: CCSU ranks third in the NEC for free throw percentage - knocking down 76.0 percent of its shots from the charity stripe.
CHICAGO STATE: Chicago State swatted a NEC team season-high nine shots on the road against Le Moyne on 01/17/26.
FDU: The Knights boast the third-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing an average of just 51.8 points per game.
LE MOYNE: Junior Ashley Buragas set a new career-high in points with 30 at Chicago State on Saturday - making her the second NEC player to score at least 30 points in a league game
LIU: Senior Kadidia Toure registered her league-best 10th double-double of the year on Saturday, which is tied for 25th in the nation.
MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst cashed in on 18 three-pointers against SFU on Saturday, becoming one of 21 teams nationwide to do so in a game.
NEW HAVEN: Freshman Jasmine McKay netted a season-high 21 points on Saturday on her way to securing New Haven’s first-ever NEC Rookie of the Week award.
SAINT FRANCIS: SFU is one win away from becoming the first program to reach 400 NEC victories as the Red Flash earned win no. 399 on 01/17/26.
STONEHILL: Junior Brooke Paquette sits at 957 points for her career and aims to become the first Skyhawk 1,000-point scorer in their DI era.
WAGNER: Keana Foz is one of two active NEC players to register 100 or more career steals.
#NECWBB NEWS & NOTES
WHAT’S ON TAP?
The classic Thursday-Saturday schedule is back this week with a full slate of games both days.
All of Thursday’s games are from the 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. hours while Saturday’s action features a full afternoon schedule at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
NEC ON TV
#NECWBB makes another appearance on ESPN+ while simulcasting on SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) and NESN Nation with Mercyhurst taking on Wagner in Staten Island, NY on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.
RYZ GAME OF THE WEEK
Mercyhurst at LIU is the RYZ Network Game of the Week. The 2:00 p.m. game at the Steinberg Wellness Center in Brooklyn, NY will air on the FAST channel on delay at 6:00 p.m, while it will be live on NEC Front Row.
The Sharks and Lakers last met in Erie, PA on 01/08/26 with LIU coming out on top by just five points.
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.
STREAKING KNIGHTS
FDU remains the lone unbeaten squad in #NECWBB and are out to a 13-0 start. It currently rides a 32-regular season game win streak against NEC opponents.
Overall, FDU has won 36 straight games over NEC foes, including four postseason victories dating back to the 2024 Tournament.
The Knights are currently one of eight teams nationwide to have a winning streak of 14 or more games.
FDU is just three wins away from owning the longest NEC regular season game win streak record. The previous record is held by Monmouth, which won 34 straight regular season conference games from the 1986-87 season to the 1988-89 campaign.
MOVIN’ ON UP
LIU has improved its win total by 10 games from a year ago as the Sharks have 16 victories on the season. Its +10 win differential is third-best in the DI - only behind McNeese (+12) and Arizona State (+11).
The Sharks currently sit in second place in the NEC with an 11-2 mark. The last time LIU won at least 11 games in league play is 2010-11 where it went 11-7 against NEC opponents. Their 11 conference wins are the most for the program in the Sharks era.
COUNTDOWN TO ONE THOUSAND
Stonehill junior guard Brooke Paquette (Hudson, NH/Bishop Guertin) sits at 957 career points - putting her just 43 points away from becoming the Skyhawks’ first 1,000-point scorer in their DI era.
Paquette currently ranks second in the conference for points per game with 14.3 on the year, while averaging 15.3 ppg in league play, which is fourth among NEC players.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Six teams have clinched their spots in the NEC Tournament with two places still up for grabs.
FDU (13-0), Chicago State (7-6), Le Moyne (6-7), LIU (11-2), Mercyhurst (9-4) and Wagner (7-6) have all punched their ticket to the conference postseason.
Central Connecticut (0-13), Saint Francis (2-11) and Stonehill (5-8) are all vying for the final two tourney spots.
New Haven (5-8) is ineligible for this year’s NEC postseason.
MAKING IT RAIN
Mercyhurst sophomore Lena Walz (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep (St. Bonaventure)) cashed in on a NEC season individual game-high eight three-pointers in the Lakers’ win against Saint Francis on Saturday.
Her eight three’s are also the most in a game by a Mercyhurst player in their first two seasons as a DI program.
DROPPIN’ DIMES
Central Connecticut guard Jessica Farrell (Bethlehem, PA/Millbrook School) dished out nine assists on 02/05/26 at Chicago State, which is a new NEC individual game-high this season.
Farrell is the first CCSU player to drop nine or more dimes in a conference game in nearly eight years when Kiana Patterson recorded 12 assists at Wagner on 02/17/18.
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
FDU currently ranks third in the nation for scoring defense as the Knights allow just 51.8 points per game.
The only squad in the country that allows fewer points per game than the Knights is No. 1 UConn (50.5).
13-0 FDU has allowed just 48.7 points per game in league play.
SOPHOMORE SURGE
Mercyhurst sophomore Cici Hernandez (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) has been on fire as of late and is making strides in her sophomore season.
Hernandez has upgraded her 6.2 ppg a year ago to 13.5 ppg this season. She has already outscored her point total from last season with 325 compared to 156 a year ago. She currently sits at third in overall ppg.
Additionally, Hernandez is averaging 17.2 ppg in conference play - ranking second in the league.
Hernandez hit a career milestone against Saint Francis last week as she hit her 100th three-pointer in just her sophomore season after she drained four against the Red Flash.
The 5-6 guard has made four or more three’s in a game on eight different occassions this season, including two with at least six.
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 as the Sharks are 11-2 in NEC play.
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 five players nationwide with eight or more games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
She is also one of two players nationwide to put up at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in three more contests this season.
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 Swink, who went 10-for-10 for Saint Francis against Purdue in the 2004 NCAA Tournament (3/21/04).
She is one of only five players nationwide this season to make 10-plus shots without a miss and one of two to do it during the 2026 calendar year.
SEEING DOUBLE
20 different NEC players from nine different schools have notched a double-double this season, with only 12 turning the trick more than once while five players own four or more on the year.
10 Kadidia Toure, LIU
9 Aniya McDonald-Perry, NHVN
5 Ashley Buragas, LEM
5 Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor, WAG
4 Shelby Ricks, SFU
3 Leah Crosby, FDU
2 Lucia Noin, CCSU
2 Tania Allen, CSU
2 Keona McGee, CSU
2 Rebecca Osei-Owusu, FDU
2 Laura Molnárová, LIU
2 Janessa Williams, LIU
2 Ella Pelletier, STO
2 Irene Fernandez de Caleya, WAG
1 Saran Diallo Toure, LIU
1 Lindsay Hogan, NHVN
1 Merit Innocent, NHVN
1 Sonia Sato, SFU
1 Brooke Paquette, STO
1 Reese Roggenburk, STO
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 15 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 INFLUXER/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: Cici Hernandez, MU
Jan. 26: Keona McGee, CSU & Addisen Sulikowski, NHVN
Feb. 2: Aniya McDonald-Perry, NHVN
Feb. 9: Keona McGee, CSU
Feb. 16: Kadidia Toure, LIU
Feb. 23:
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: Ella Pelletier, STO
Dec. 31: Reese Downey, FDU
Jan. 6: Sofia Wilson, MU
Jan. 12: Sofia Wilson, MU
Jan. 19: Peyton Dincher, LEM
Jan. 26: Sofia Wilson, MIU
Feb. 2: Sofia Wilson, MU
Feb. 9: Leah Crosby, FDU
Feb. 16: Jasmine McKay, NHVN
Feb. 23: