WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – For the third time in four weeks, first-year Eastern Connecticut State University women's basketball player Maddie Topa (New Hartford) has been selected as the New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Rookie-of-the-Week for the week ending Jan. 11, released Wednesday.
 
Also a three-time Little East Conference Rookie-of-the-Week (including this past week), Topa was previously named to the NEWBA team in consecutive weeks in Week #4 (through Dec. 7) and Week #5 (through Dec. 14).
 
In a 2-1 week against Little East Conference competition, Topa averaged 17.7 points with three games of double figures, and 6.3 rebounds with eight total assists, eight total steals and five total three-point field goals. She shot 54.1 percent from the floor and was 8-of-11 from the foul line. In 101 total minutes, she turned the ball over only three times.
 
In a 79-71 home win over UMass Dartmouth, the 5-foot-8 inch guard/forward had a season-high 20 points as well as adding seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. She was 8-of-13 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from distance, and 2-of-2 from the stripe. In 32 minutes in a 73-55 win at Plymouth State University, Topa had 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals without a turnover. For the 6-8 Warriors (3-2 LEC), Topa has appeared in 14 games and has started the last ten.
 
Through Wednesday night's 82-52 LEC home win over VTSU Castleton, Topa was averaging 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds and was shooting  42.1 percent from the floor (59-of-140) and 77.8 percent from the foul line (21-of-27) with 27 steals and 14 three-point field goals in an average of 26.5 minutes.
 
Eastern (7-8, 4-2 LEC) visits unbeaten LEC leader University of Southern Maine (13-1, 6-0 LEC) Saturday at 1 p.m. The Huskies won their sixth straight home game Wednesday and tenth straight overall with an 81-54 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.