USCAA Names Velez Player Of The Week

MEDIA, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine senior guard Nikki Velez (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester City) was named Player of the Week by the United States Collegiate Athletic Association on Tuesday after helping the Lions to a 3-0 record last week.

In three conference wins, Velez averaged 24.3 points per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field, 57 percent (17-30) from three-point range and 87 percent (14-16) at the free throw stripe.

Velez, the leading scorer in the Penn State University Athletic Conference, averaging 19.3 points per game, knocked down six three-pointers, scoring a career-high 30 points in a victory at Penn State Scranton on Tuesday. She added 19 points against Penn State DuBois Friday before matching a career-best with seven three-pointers in a 24-point outing against Penn State Greater Allegheny one day later.

In addition to leading the league in scoring, Velez ranks second in free throw shooting (.868) and is fifth in three-point percentage (.388). Velez also averages 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals per outing.

In Tuesday's win at Scranton, Velez moved into second on Brandywine's all-time scoring list. She owns 1,412 points entering Tuesday's game at Penn State Schuylkill, needing 108 points to become the program's leading scorer.