NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chloe Wilson, FDU
Jr., Forward, 5-10, Freeport, NY/South Shore
Wilson, a Preseason All-NEC selection, was a key in leading FDU to a 62-49 win at Bucknell on Wednesday evening. The junior forward dropped a team-high 16 points to hand the Bison a rare loss inside Sojka Pavilion. Eight of Wilson’s points came during the game’s first quarter in a stretch that saw the Knights race out to a commanding 27-5 lead. In 36 minutes, Wilson, who went 44.4 percent from the field (4-for-9) and 72.7 from the charity stripe (8-for-11), added seven rebounds and a pair of assists. On the season, the Freeport, NY native is ranked second in both scoring (12.3 ppg) and rebounding (4.3 rpg).

NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Ny’Ceara Pryor, Sacred Heart
Fr., Guard, 5-3, Baltimore, MD/Western
Pryor continues to impress in the early part of her collegiate career. The Baltimore, MD native dropped double figures in each of her two appearances this past week after averaging 18.0 points per game for the Pioneers. Most impressively, Pryor was efficient from the field during that stretch, converting on 13-of-24 attempts for a 54.2 percent clip. The rookie guard got her week going with a bang against Brown, delivering a double-double on 12 points and 13 rebounds to pace Sacred Heart in both categories. She went on to register her first-ever 20-plus point game against Iona after going 10-of-16 from the field for 24 points, which is tied for the NEC’s top offensive performance this season. In addition to her scoring numbers, Pryor had a solid all-around week, averaging 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. The league’s leader in blocks (4.4 big) and field goal percentage (.438), she is ranked third in scoring (14.8 ppg), fourth in assists (3.2 apg), third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). This is her second NEC Rookie of the Week award.


NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Alli Napoli, CCSU (So., F)
Napoli shot 66.7 percent from three-point land (4-for-6) and turned in a 71.4 percent clip from the floor (5-for-7) to finish with 14 points against NJIT. The sophomore forward added one block in 34 minutes.

Celia Carbonell, FDU (Sr., G)
Carbonell had a hot hand in FDU’s win at Bucknell, converting on each of her four three-point field goal attempts to finish with 12 points. Shooting 80.0 percent from the field on the day, the senior guard added three assists and three steals to her efficient performance.

Chloe Wilson, FDU (Jr., F)
Wilson was a key factor in FDU’s 62-49 win at Bucknell. Helping the Knights jump out to a 27-5 lead with eight first-quarter points, the junior forward scored a team-high 16 points and added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal 

Iris Mbulito, LIU (Gr., G)
Mbulito put up a double-double against ACC foe Syracuse. The graduate guard had 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, including seven off the offensive glass.

Emaia O’Brien, LIU (So., G)
O’Brien knocked down a trio of three-pointers to lead LIU with 18 points at Syracuse. The sophomore guard added three assists and three steals in the Sharks’ lone game of the week.

Marissa Hamilton, MC (R-Sr., F)
Hamilton scored 20 points and added eight rebounds to lead Merrimack in a last-second setback to Dartmouth. It marked a career-best scoring performance for the redshirt-senior transfer, who made her Warriors’ debut last week.

Kaylee Thomas, MC (Sr., G)
Thomas shot sizzling 60.0 percent from the field in Merrimack’s last-second defeat to Dartmouth. Pulling down five rebounds, the veteran guard went 6-for-10 on the day for 19 points.

Ny’Ceara Pryor, SHU (Fr., G)
Pryor registered her first career double-double (12 points, 13 rebounds) against Brown before producing her first career 20-point outing against Iona (24). The two-time NEC Rookie of the Week shot 54.2 percent from the field (13-for-24) and averaged 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game for the Pios last week.

Alyssa Fisher, SFBK (Sr., G)
Fisher extended her double-figure scoring streak to five games after dropping 16 points on NJIT and 19 points on UMBC. Averaging 17.5 points in 37.5 minutes per game, the senior leads the NEC in scoring with 16.8 points per game.

Layla Laws, SFU (So., F)
Laws went 50.0 percent from the field (7-for-14) to lead Saint Francis U with a career-15 points against Temple on Saturday. The sophomore forward added six rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes.


TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECWBB WEEK 2

Here’s all you need to know from the second week of the 2022-23 season...

>> ROOKIE NO MORE

In her freshman campaign, Emaia O’Brien (Detroit, MI/Chandler Park Academy) quickly became a recognizable name in NEC hoops, as she was unanimously voted the league’s Rookie of the Year. The Detroit, MI product averaged 9.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in her debut season. 

Hauling in a league-best eight NEC Rookie of the Week awards, O’Brien elevated her game exponentially over the course of her first season at LIU. The 5-foot-1 guard averaged 9.0 points and 19.5 minutes during the first 10 games of the year. Fast forward to conference play, where she led the Sharks in minutes (30.4 per game) and was second in scoring at 10.3 points per contest. O’Brien ended her debut season on a tear, producing double-digit scoring in six of her final seven games while averaging 11.9 points during that stretch.

The now sophomore has wasted little time living up to her Preseason All-NEC Team status in 2022-23. Registering double figures in three of her first four games, including a game-high 19-point outing in the Sharks’ season-opening win at Ohio U. and an 18-point effort against Syracuse, she is fifth in the league in scoring with 14.3 points per game. 


>> EARLY DOMINANCE

Sacred Heart first-year guard Ny’Ceara Pryor (Baltimore, MD/Western) is already making a name for herself in the NEC women's basketball circuit.

The Baltimore native has earned NEC Rookie of the Week distinction in each of the first two weeks of the season. She was impressive in her first three games as a Pio, putting up double figures in each contest to average 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and a whopping 5.7 assists in 29.7 minutes per game. 

Pryor proved that her opening-week performances were not a fluke. In week two, she was just as spectacular. The guard opened the week with a double-double, scoring 12 points while grabbing a career-high 13 boards against Brown. She then went on to extend her double-figure scoring streak to five games against Iona after going 10-of-16 from the field for 24 points.

In addition to registering her first career 20-point outing against the Gaels, it marks the best offensive performance by an NEC player to date this season.

Pryor ranks among the league’s leaders in several categories. She is fourth in scoring (14.8 ppg), 11th in rebounding (5.8 rpg), first in field goal percentage (.438), fouth in assists (3.2 apg) and first in steals (4.4 spg). 


>> STEALING THE NATION’S STATS

Sacred Heart first-year guard Ny’Ceara Pryor (Baltimore, MD/Western) has made a splash in her collegiate debut for the Pioneers. Pryor has done a little of everything in her first five games as a Pio, averaging 14.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. But she has really made her presence known on the defensive end of the court. 

The 5-foot-3 guard has wreaked havoc on the opposition’s guards. Registering five-or-more thefts in each of her first three games —including seven in Sacred Heart’s defeat to La Salle earlier this season — she has racked up 33 steals to rank second in the nation in the category. In addition, Pryor’s 4.40 swipes-per-game average is good for fifth in NCAA Division I. 

Tabbed the NEC’s Co-Rookie of the Week, Pryor did a little bit of everything for the Pioneers over the season-opening three-game stretch, averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 29.7 minutes per game. 

Putting up double figures in all three contests, the most impressive part of Pryor’s opening-week performance was her presence on the defensive end of the court. The 5-foot-3 guard racked up five-or-more thefts in each of those contests to finish with 17 total steals, including seven in Sacred Heart’s defeat to La Salle. 


>> A BIG DEBUT LEADS TO A STRONG START

Fourth-year head coach Rene Haynes and LIU made a splash in its 2022-23 season debut on Monday. Facing MAC opponent Ohio U. on the road, the Sharks came away with their frist season-opening win in 10 years after scoring a 74-67 victory. LIU used a dominant 24-13 third quarter to break open a two-point lead at the half and put the Bobcats away.

Sophomore Emaia O’Brien (Detroit, MI/Chandler Park Academy) led the way with a game-high 19 points in 32 minutes. Junior guard Ashley Austin (Compton, CA/Lynwood (Texas Southern)) also played a big role in the win, scoring 16 points in her Sharks’ debut.

After following at Big Ten member Illinois, the Sharks went on to post a dominant 70-54 win at Hartford on Saturday to push their record to 2-1 on the season. LIU, which led from wire-to-wire, was led by Austin, who scored 14 points. 

LIU, which won two of its first three games for the first time since 2011-12, fell at ACC foe Syracuse to dip to 2-2 on the season.


>> HOT SHOT

To say that FDU senior guard Celia Carbonell (Barcelona, Spain/SES Teia) was feeling it against Bucknell last week was an understatement. 

The 5-foot-9 guard was unstoppable from behind the arc, knocking down all four of her attempts to finish with 12 points in the victory. A native of Spain, she capped off her efficient display by contributing three assists and three steals. 

With her perfect three-point shooting performance, Carbonell enters the week as the nation’s leader in three-point field goal percentage (.778).