NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alyssa Fisher, St. Francis Brooklyn
SR, Guard, 5-7, Baton Rouge, LA/University Laboratory School
Fisher led all NEC scorers during the opening week of the 2022-23 season. The senior guard averaged 16.3 points per game after going 51.2 percent from the field (12-for-41) and knocking down seven three-pointers during that stretch. A product of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Fisher scored in double figures in each of her first three starts. After netting 15 points in 16 minutes in a win over Old Westbury and adding 10 points in a defeat to St. John’s, the veteran went off for a game-high 24 points after knocking down 4-of-9 from three in an overtime setback to Rider. Fisher added 3.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 steals and 30.7 minutes per game.
NEC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CO-ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Ella Fajardo, FDU
SO, Guard, 5-4, Bergenfield, NJ/Gill St. Bernard’s
Fajardo averaged 15.0 points and 2.0 assists in her first two collegiate games. The sophomore knocked down 4-of-6 shots from long range to finish the week with a 66.7 percent clip. In addition, Fajardo was nearly perfect at the free-throw line, going 12-for-13 for a 92.3 percent effort. The Bergenfield, NJ native made a splash in her first-ever college game, leading FDU with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field at Marquette. Later in the week, Fajardo went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe to finish with 14 points in the Knights’ win at Cornell.
Ny’Ceara Pryor, Sacred Heart
FR, Guard, 5-3, Baltimore, MD/Western
Pryor put up impressive numbers across the board in her collegiate debut, averaging 12.7 points, 5.7 steals, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 29.7 minutes per game. The Baltimore, MD product put up double figures in all three of the Pioneers’ games against Hartford (12 points), La Salle (15) and Monmouth (11). Pryor was a force to be reckoned with defensively as well, registering five-or-more steals in each of those contests, including seven against the Explorers. With 17 total steals, she ranks second in the nation, while her 5.67 steals per game are good for 10th in NCAA Division I.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Dejah Jenkins, CCSU (G, JR)
Jenkins scored in double figures in each of Central Connecticut’s first two games of the season, netting 17 points against UMass before putting up an 11-point effort against Quinnipiac. Knocking down six three-pointers on 66.7 percent shooting during that stretch, the junior guard averaged 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 36.5 minutes per game.
Ella Fajardo, FDU (G, SO)
Fajardo averaged 15.0 points and 2.0 assists in her first two collegiate games after combining to go 4-for-6 from three-point territory. A sophomore guard who was also tabbed the NEC Co-Rookie of the Week, she went 2-for-3 from three for 16 points at Marquette before registering 14 points and three assists in a win against Cornell.
Emaia O’Brien, LIU (SO, G)
O’Brien was sensational in LIU’s season-opening win road win Ohio University, pouring in a game-high 19 points after knocking down four three-pointers. In three games, she averaged 13.0 points, 2.3 assists and 24.7 minutes.
Marissa Hamilton, MC (R-SR, F)
Hamilton, a transfer from the University at Buffalo who made her Merrimack debut this past week, turned in a pair of double-figure scoring games after shooting 46.2 percent from the field (12-for-26). The redshirt-senior forward went 58.3 percent from the field (7-for-12) to finish with a team-high 18 points against UAlbany.
Ny’Ceara Pryor, SHU (FR, G)
Pryor, who was also tabbed the NEC Co-Rookie of the Week, put up impressive numbers across the board in her collegiate debut, averaging 12.7 points, 5.7 steals, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 29.7 minutes per game. Scoring in double figures in each of Sacred Heart’s three games, the rookie guard’s week was highlighted by a 15-point, seven-steal effort against La Salle.
Alyssa Fisher, SFBK (SR, G)
Fisher led all NEC scorers during the opening week of the 2022-23 campaign after averaging 16.3 points over a three-game stretch. The veteran guard, who was also tabbed the league’s Player of the Week, shot 51.2 percent from the field (21-of-41) and knocked down seven three-pointers during that stretch.
Ella Ogier, SFBK (JR, G)
In 29.3 minutes per game, Ogier averaged 12.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 block per contest. The junior guard and San Jose State transfer dropped double figures in each of her first three games as a Terrier, including in an overtime defeat to Rider that saw her add eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block.
Maddie Loder, Stonehill (GR, G)
Loder, a graduate transfer from George Washington, registered double figures in each of her first two games as a Skyhawk last week. Highlighted by a 17-point performance that featured three makes from long range, the guard averaged 13.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game during that stretch.
Kem Nwabudu, Wagner (GR, F)
Nwabudu came just shy of averaging a double-double last week for Wagner after putting up 10.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in three games. The graduate forward compiled the first double-double for a NEC player this year, tallying 12 points and 11 boards in the Seahawks’ season-opening win at Manhattan. Scoring 10 points at Iona, Nwabudu went on to net her 1,000th career point at Brown after registering eight points and nine rebounds.
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECWBB TIPOFF WEEK
Here’s all you need to know from the opening week of the 2022-23 season...
>> 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.
With the Hartford victory, LIU is off the program’s best start since 2011-12, when it also won two of its first three games of the year.
>> 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 two of her first three games, including a game-high 19-point outing in the Sharks’ season-opening win at Ohio U., she is seventh in the league in scoring with 13.0 points per game.
>> STEALING THE NATION’S STATS
Sacred Heart first-year guard Ny’Ceara Pryor (Baltimore, MD/Western) made a splash in her collegiate debut for the Pioneers. 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.
The Baltimore product enters the second week of the season ranked second in the nation in steals, while her 5.67-per-game average is good for 10th in NCAA Division I.