Velez Named PSUAC Player Of The Year; Three Earn All-PSUAC Recognition
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Brandywine senior Nikki Velez (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester City) was chosen by the league coaches as the Penn State University Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year on Sunday. Velez additionally received First Team All-PSUAC and Co-Defensive Player of the Year accolades, while classmate Madison D'Ambrosio (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) and freshman Amanda Floyd (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro) were both honorable mention all-conference selections.
Velez, believed to be Brandywine's first women's basketball player of the year in the program's history, led the conference in scoring at 19.4 points per game. A starter in all 28 games, Velez also paced the conference in three-point shooting (.402) and free throw shooting (.832) during the year. Her 103 made three-pointers rank as the highest total in the league, 36 more than her closest competitor, and is one of the top marks at any level of women's college basketball this winter.
Now a four-time first team performer, Velez produced 11 20-point games, one 30-point game and a 41-point performance in a victory over Penn State Schuylkill in February. Velez's 41-point game was the first by a Brandywine women's basketball player since 2004 and one point shy of Dana Johnson's single-game team record. Of her top 13 scoring performances, 12 came against PSUAC competition.
Velez buried at least one three-pointer in 26-of-28 games, including a career-best nine triples against Schuylkill, connecting for five or more nine times.
Brandywine's all-time leading scorer (1,800 points), Velez broke the Lions' career scoring mark on January 17 when she needed just 32 minutes of action to score 29 points in a victory at Penn State Fayette.
In addition, Velez ranked 10th in the PSUAC, averaging 2.4 steals per game. She pulled in 4.0 rebounds per game, a career-best total, while adding 2.1 assists per outing.
D'Ambrosio, who earned honorable mention recognition for the second-straight year, was Brandywine's third-leading scorer (10.8 ppg) and top rebounder (7.4 rpg). She reached double figures in scoring 18 times in 28 games, including a season-best 23 points in a PSUAC Tournament victory over Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
D'Ambrosio produced seven double-doubles, five of which came during the team's final 14 games. At the free throw line, D'Ambrosio owned the fourth-best shooting percentage in the conference (.757). She added 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Floyd was one of the top rookie performers in the league, averaging 12.6 points and 6.3 rebounds, while starting all 28 games. Offensively, Floyd reached the 25-point mark three times, including a pair of 27-point outings. She ranked second on the team with 42 three-pointers and shot nearly 75 percent at the free throw stripe.
Floyd tallied five double-doubles and pulled down at least 10 rebounds five times, with a season-best 12 boards during a win over Penn State Hazleton in late January. Floyd's 66 assists were a team-high total, while her 65 steals ranked second on the team.
Brandywine finished the season with a record of 20-8 and reached the PSUAC Championship game for the eighth time in the last 14 years.
