Velez Lands A Pair Of Weekly Accolades

MEDIA, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine senior Nikki Velez (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester City) was recognized as the player of the week by the Penn State University Athletic Conference and United States Collegiate Athletic Association on Tuesday following a standout week offensively.

On Saturday, Velez poured in a career-high 41 points to help Brandywine defeat Penn State Schuylkill. In 39 minutes on the court, Velez knocked down 14-of-23 shots from the field, including 9-of-13 from three-point territory, and 4-of-5 free throws, to come within one point and one three-pointer of matching Brandywine single-game records. She netted the Lions' final 18 points of the game, burying five of her six three-point tries during the final quarter.

Four days earlier, Velez played all 40 minutes of a 62-60 victory at Penn State Lehigh Valley that put Brandywine back in first place in the PSUAC East Division. In addition to scoring a game-high 22 points, Velez tallied five rebounds, two assists and two steals and blocked Lehigh Valley's potential game-tying shot during the final seconds to preserve the win.

Brandywine's all-time leading scorer with 1,662 points, Velez is the top scorer in the PSUAC, averaging 19.2 points per game this winter. She also ranks second in both three-point shooting (.420) and free throw shooting (.806).

Brandywine (14-7, 11-4 PSUAC) is on the road Thursday night at Valley Forge (7:00 pm).