INFLUXER/NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Keona McGee, Chicago State
Guard, Sophomore, Milwaukee, WI/Dominican
Click HERE for Keona McGee's Influxer page.
Earning her second Influxer/NEC Player of the Week award in the past three weeks, McGee balled out again over the weekend as Chicago State extended its winning streak to four. The sophomore guard averaged 23.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game as the Cougars won both of their games by a combined nine points last week. McGee started the week strong with a 28-point, 13-rebound outing against Central Connecticut on Thursday night – becoming the sixth NEC player to register at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a game this season. She is also the first Chicago State player to score at least 28 and grab at least 13 boards in a contest in 10 years. Additionally, McGee scored 18 of the Cougars’ 25 fourth quarter points to help secure the home win over the Blue Devils. The Milwaukee, WI native added another standout performance on Saturday with 19 points and seven rebounds in a thrilling three-point win over New Haven. The 5-8 guard had a key bucket down the stretch in the fourth to put Chicago State up one with 3:15 left as CSU would hold onto the lead for the rest of the game. In league play alone, the sophomore averages 14.5 ppg, which ranks seventh in the conference. McGee has led the Cougars to seven wins in their last nine contests and has helped them clinch their spot in the NEC Tournament. Chicago State is now tied for fourth place in the conference standings with a 7-5 league record.
INFLUXER/NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Leah Crosby, FDU
Forward, Freshman, Plainfield, NJ/St. Thomas
Click HERE for Leah Crosby's Influxer page.
Claiming her third Influxer/NEC Rookie of the Week and first since December 1, Crosby held down the frontcourt for FDU as the defending conference champs continued their perfect start to league play. The freshman forward stood out in the Knights’ 84-64 win over Mercyhurst as she netted 17 points, corralled 11 boards and swatted three shots while going 8-of-12 from the field. The Plainfield, NJ native finished the weekend averaging 11.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 assist per game along with a 62.5 clip from the field. Crosby leads all NEC rookies in rebounding (5.9), field goal percentage (41.5), blocks (0.8) and offensive rebounds (2.5). The Knights are 12-0 in conference play and sit atop the NEC standings. FDU has, now, won 31 consecutive NEC regular season games and 35 straight against league opponents – including postseason victories. Crosby's three Influxer/NEC Rookie of the Week accolades are the second-most among the league's freshmen this season.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Keona McGee, CSU (So., G)
Last week: 23.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 46.6 FG%, 82.6 FT%
- Tabbed the Influxer/NEC Player of the Week for the second time in the last three weeks.
- Dropped 28 points and secured 13 rebounds against CCSU on Thursday.
- Scored 18 of Chicago State's 25 fourth quarter points in the win over the Blue Devils.
- Added 19 points and seven boards against New Haven as the Cougars clinched their spot in the NEC Tournament.
Madlena Gerke, FDU (Gr., G/F)
Last week: 15.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.0 bpg, 34.6 FG%, 34.7 3FG%, 100.0 FT%
- Netted 16 points, grabbed eight boards and dropped four dimes in a 20-point victory over Mercyhurst.
- Canned eight three-pointers last week.
- Added 15 points, four rebounds and four assists along with a steal and block in a win at Stonehill.
- Ranks third in the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.2).
Ashley Buragas, LEM (Jr., F)
Last week: 18.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spg, 50.0 FG%, 88.8 FT%
- Led the Dolphins in ppg and rpg in a 2-0 weekend.
- Put up 23 points, pulled down eight boards, dished out three assists and added a steal and block in a win at SFU.
- Went an efficient 16-of-18 from the chairty stripe last week.
- Added 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in a home victory over Wagner.
Kadidia Toure, LIU (Sr., F)
Last week: 16.5 ppg, 13.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.5 bpg, 50.0 FG%, 90.0 FT%
- Registered her eighth and ninth double-doubles of the year last week, which is tied for the league-best.
- Recorded her seventh game this season of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds with 21 and 17 at Stonehill on Saturday.
- Went an impressive 9-of-10 from the charity stripe last week.
- Leads the NEC in scoring (18.2) , rebounding (9.6), blocks (1.4) adn defensive rebounding (6.3).
Janessa Williams, LIU (Jr., G)
Last week: 17.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 44.0 FG%, 38.4 3FG%, 70.0 FT%
- Went for 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists on Saturday afternoon at Stonehill.
- Added 16 points and nine boards at New Haven on Thursday night.
- Leads the league in three-point field goal percentage with 39.1 percent.
Cici Hernandez, MU (So., G)
Last week: 17.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.0 spg, 40.0 FG%, 45.0 3FG%
- Canned six three-pointers on her way to 20 points at FDU on Saturday.
- Scored 15 points while grabbing two boards, notching two steals and dishing out an assist in a 20-point win at SFU.
- Ranks second in the league in scoring during conference play with 17.3 ppg and three-pointers made with 3.3 per game.
Jenna Van Schaik, MU (Sr., G)
Last week: 21.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.0 apg, 2.0 spg, 1.0 bpg, 56.0 FG%, 40.0 3FG%, 92.8 FT%
- Posted 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals in a 79-59 win at SFU.
- Scored 20 points while adding six boards and six dimes at FDU on Saturday.
- The Lakers' win over the Red Flash clinched their spot in their first-ever NEC Tournament.
Aniya McDonald-Perry, NHVN (Sr., F)
Last week: 12.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 3.0 bpg, 2.5 spg, 2.0 apg, 42.8 FG%, 100.0 FT%
- Recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds at Chicago State.
- Added four assists, three blocks and two steals against the Cougars on Saturday.
- Leads the NEC in steals (2.4) and offensive rebounding (4.5).
Julia Webster, STO (So., F)
Last week: 15.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.0 spg, 1.0 bpg, 50.0 FG%, 75.0 FT%
- Went for 19 points off 8-of-14 shooting along with nine rebounds and a career-high three steals against LIU.
- Netted 11 points and grabbed four boards aginst FDU on Thursday.
- Owns the second-best field goal percentage during conference play with a 52.7 clip.
Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor, WAG (Jr., C)
Last week: 11.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.0 spg, 47.6 FG%
- Recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds at Le Moyne.
- Scored eight points, nabbed 11 boards and swiped the ball three times in a 50-41 win at CCSU.
- Wagner clinched a NEC Tournament berth with its victory at CCSU on Saturday.
#NECWBB BY THE NUMBERS
9 - CCSU’s Jessica Farrell dropped 9 dimes at Chicago State on Thursday, which is the most in a game by a NEC player this season.
6 - LIU’s Kadidia Toure is one of only 6 players nationwide with seven or more games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds with her last such outing coming on Saturday at Stonehill.
31 - FDU owns 31 consecutive regular season wins over NEC opponents after a 10-0 start to league play. The Knights are just 4 wins away from beating the all-time NEC regular season win streak.
#NECWBB FAST BREAK
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT: Rookie Kiyah Lewis scored 28 points at Chicago State on Thursday to become one of 40 freshmen to net 28 or more in a game.
CHICAGO STATE: Chicago State is currently riding a four-game winning streak for the first time in 15 seasons.
FDU: The Knights boast the fourth-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing an average of just 52.4 points per game.
LE MOYNE: Senior Sierra Linnin hit the 1,000-point mark for her Le Moyne career with a three-pointer vs. Wagner on Thursday - dating back to before the Dolphins joined the NEC.
LIU: Senior Kadidia Toure registered her league-best ninth double-double of the year on Saturday, which is tied for 34th in the nation.
MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst went a perfect 16-of-16 from the free throw line in Thursday night’s 20-point win at Saint Francis - marking the second time a NEC team has gone perfect from the free throw line this season while taking 16 shots.
NEW HAVEN: Senior Aniya McDonald-Perry is tied for the league lead in double-doubles with nine. She scored 19 points and grabbed 13 boards at Chicago State on Saturday.
SAINT FRANCIS: SFU is one win away from becoming the first program to reach 400 NEC victories as the Red Flash earned win #399 on 01/17/26.
STONEHILL: Junior Brooke Paquette sits at 943 points for her career and aims to become the first Skyhawk 1,000-point scorer in their DI era.
WAGNER: Wagner clinched their spot in the NEC Tournament with its 50-41 victory at Central Connecticut on Saturday afternoon.
#NECWBB NEWS & NOTES
WHAT’S ON TAP?
This week’s slate features a full Valentine’s Day lineup on Saturday, Feb. 14. The action starts off with a pair of games at 1:00 p.m. and continues with three taking place at 2:00 p.m.
NEC ON TV
#NECWBB makes another appearance on ESPN+ while simulcasting on YES Network and NESN+ with FDU visiting Central Connecticut at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
RYZ GAME OF THE WEEK
Le Moyne at Chicago State is the RYZ Network Game of the Week. The 2:00 p.m. game at the Jones Convocation Center in Chicago, IL will air on the FAST channel either live or on delay while it will be live on NEC Front Row.
The two 2025 NEC Tournament semifinalists last met on January 17 in Syracuse, NY with the Cougars winning, 61-55.
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 12-0 start. It currently rides a 31-regular season game win streak against NEC opponents.
Overall, FDU has won 35 straight games over NEC foes including four postseason victories dating back to the 2024 Tournament.
The Knights are currently one of 10 teams nationwide to have a winning streak of 13 or more games.
FDU is just four 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.
ROLLING COUGARS
Chicago State has currently won four straight games and have won seven of their last nine contests.
Last week, the Cougars claimed victory in both of their games by a combined nine points with a six-point win over CCSU and a three-point victory against New Haven.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Five teams have clinched their spots in the NEC Tournament with three places still up for grabs.
FDU (12-0), Chicago State (7-5), LIU (10-2), Mercyhurst (8-4) and Wagner (7-5) have all punched their ticket to the conference postseason.
Central Connecticut (0-12), Le Moyne (5-7), Saint Francis (2-10) and Stonehill (4-8) are all vying for the final three tourney spots.
New Haven (5-7) is ineligible for this year’s league postseason.
COUNTDOWN TO ONE THOUSAND
Stonehill junior guard Brooke Paquette (Hudson, NH/Bishop Guertin) sits at 946 career points - putting here just 54 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 14.4 on the year, while averaging 15.7 ppg in league play, which is third among NEC players.
DROPPIN’ DIMES
Central Connecticut guard Jessica Farrell (Bethlehem, PA/Millbrook School) dished out nine assists on Thursday night 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 fourth in the nation for scoring defense as the Knights allow just 52.4 points per game.
The only squads in the country that allow fewer points per game than the Knights are No. 1 UConn (50.6), McNeese (51.0) and Quinnipiac (52.3).
12-0 FDU has allowed just 49.8 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 13.4 ppg this season. She has already outscored her point total from last season with 309compared to 156 a year ago. She currently sits at third in overall ppg.
Additionally, Hernandez is averaging 17.3 ppg in conference play - ranking second in the league.
MAKING IT RAIN
LIU junior Solangelei Akridge nailed seven three-pointers in the Sharks' 79-68 win over Le Moyne on 01/15/26 to match a NEC individual game-high this season. She is also the only player to do so in conference play.
FDU's Kailee McDonald also hit seven shots from three-point land on 12/04/25 against Lafayette.
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 10-2 in NEC play. The last time LIU won at least 10 game in league play is the 2011-12 season.
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 six players nationwide with seven or more games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
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 four players nationwide this season to make 10-plus shots without a miss and the only one to do it in the 2026 calendar year.
SHARP SHOOTIN’ KNIGHTS
Defending conference champion FDU is the top three-point shooting team in the league, making 34.9 percent of its shots from beyond the arc along with draining an average of 9.0 per game for a total of 225 on the year. As a team, FDU is T-15th nationally with 9.0 three-pointers per game, while their 225 three-point field goals are T-11th in Division I.
Sophomore guard Kailee McDonald (Lowell, MA/Worcester Academy) has drained 72 three-pointers this season, which is 12th in the nation.
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.
9 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 Ella Pelletier, STO
2 Irene Fernandez de Caleya, WAG
1 Saran Diallo Toure, LIU
1 Janessa Williams, 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 13 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:
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: