Le Moyne (1-2) vs. Cornell (2-3)
Info: Saturday, Nov. 22 | 4:00 P.M. | Syracuse, N.Y. | Ted Grant Court
Watch: NEC Front Row
Listen: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule
Cornell's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team is set to host the Cornell Big Red in their home-opener at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22. The game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row and FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM. 

Season Summary:
The Dolphins are 1-3 to kick off the 2025-26 season through a four-game road stretch against non-conference opponents. They opened the season against St. John's on Monday, Nov. 3 and dropped the matchup, 68-53, before downing Lafayette, 82-79, in overtime the following Sunday, Nov. 9. Most recently, Le Moyne fell to seventh-ranked Baylor, 43-99, in Waco, T.X. on Sunday, Nov. 16 before traveling to Pitt and coming away with a 65-87 defeat.

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne dropped their matchup with the University of Pittsburgh in their third consecutive road matchup, 65-87, on Tuesday night as senior guard Sierra Linnin tied for the game high with 17 points on 5-13 shooting from the field with a pair of shots from the line. Her fifth and final three-pointer of the night marked the 200th of her career, making her just the third Dolphin in program history to reach that mark. 

Sophomore guard Eli Clark, freshman guard Peyton Dincher, and junior forward Ashley Buragas also finished in the double-digits against Pitt, tallying 14, 12, and 10. Clark and Dincher each finished with four three-pointers made to contribute to Le Moyne's 39 total attempts from behind the arc, a new single game record for the program. 

Buragas also led the way with six rebounds for the Dolphins, as Linnin, Dincher and junior guard Jessica Wangolo each added four, as well. Wangolo and E. Clark tied for the team-lead in assists with five while Wangolo and K. Clark registered three steals apiece. Freshman forward Ava Johnson tallied the lone pair of blocks for Le Moyne.

Series History:
Saturday's meeting marks the seventh between Le Moyne and Cornell in their programs' histories with the Big Red holding a 5-1 record through the first six matchups.

All six games came in the 1980s with the first coming during the 1981-82 season and the most recent taking place during the 1989-90 campaign. 

This will be the Dolphins' third meeting against an Ivy League Conference member since transitioning to NCAA Division-I prior to the 2023-24 season. Le Moyne has matched up with and fallen to Princeton in each of the two seasons.

Common Opponents:
The Dolphins and Big Red have three common opponents this season, including two of Le Moyne's NEC rivals and one non-conference foe. 

Cornell fell to Pitt, 54-56, on Tues, Nov. 11 before downing Mercyhurst, 53-49, on Friday, Nov. 14 in a pair of road matchups. They're also set to take on Wagner in Staten Island on Sunday, Nov. 30. 

After taking on the Panthers this past Tuesday, Le Moyne will match-up with both the Lakers and Seahawks twice in conference play later this season. 

Year #3:
Le Moyne is in its third year transitioning to the Division I level and is the only institution in the nation in its transition "class." The Dolphins went 18-15 in their first season at the Division I level in 2023-24, including 14-2 in NEC action to earn the second seed in the postseason tournament before advancing to the conference title game. The team then posted a 7-24 overall record last season, including going 6-10 in conference play, en route to their second straight NEC tournament, this time as the fifth seed.  

Returners:
The 2025-26 Dolphins will feature six returners; senior guards Sierra Linnin (Valley Cottage, N.Y. / Albertus Magnus) and Michelina Lombardi (Wynantskill, N.Y. / Averill Park), juniors guard Jessica Wangolo (Ottawa, O.N. / Capital Courts Academy / Buffalo) and forward Sydney Postell (Churchville, N.Y. / Churchville-Chili), sophomore guard Eli Clark (Oakhurst, N.J. / Ocean Township), and redshirt sophomore guard Amya McLeod (Rome, N.Y. / Rome Free Academy / Youngstown State).

Newcomers:
The Dolphins welcomed eight new players to the program this year, including six freshman, one sophomore, and one junior. Guards Peyton Dincher (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore), Ava Lucarotti (Erie, Pa. / Cathedral Prep), and Kayden Clark (Oakhurst, N.J. / Manasquan) join forwards Ava Johnson (Richmond, Va. / The Steward School), Rachel Lynch (Cork, Ireland / Putnam Science Academy (Conn.)), and Praise Matthews (Red Lion, Pa. / Dallastown) as 'Phins freshmen this season. Junior forward Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, N.Y. / John Jay / Mineral Area College) joins Le Moyne's program after a two-year stint at NJCAA Mineral Area College in Park Hills, M.O. while sophomore guard Sophia Bonnell (Horseheads, N.Y. / Horseheads / SUNY New Paltz) played one season in NCAA Division-III for the New Paltz Hawks.

NEC Outlook:
Le Moyne's squad was selected to finish fourth in the regular season standings in the NEC preseason coaches' poll, just behind unanimous favorite FDU, Stonehill, and Chicago State. CCSU, Mercyhurst, Wagner, LIU, New Haven, and Saint Francis rounded out the poll behind the Dolphins. 

Eli Clark was named to the preseason All-NEC team, as well, after recording averages of 8.2 points (third on the team), 3.3 rebounds (fifth on the team) and a team-best 2.9 assists over a team-high 31.5 minutes per game as a starter in 27 of 30 games played. During NEC action, she increased her averages to 8.5 points and 3.5 assists to go with 3.1 rebounds as a starter in 12 of 15 games.

Coach DiPillo:
Nick DiPillo was named the seventh head coach in Le Moyne women's basketball program history on May 23, 2024 after stints as an assistant coach at Bowling Green State University, University of Pittsburgh, Seton Hall University and with the New York Liberty, in addition to a successful head coaching stint at the University of Scranton. 

The Dolphins earned the fifth seed in the 2024-25 NEC tournament in coach Dipillo's first season, eventually taking down #4 Saint Francis, 62-51, in the opening round before falling to #2 Stonehill, 41-60, in the semifinals. 

Big Red Brief:
Cornell sits with a 2-3 overall record so far this season, head coach Emily Garner's second at the helm of the program.

The Big Red opened the season with four-straight road contests, similar to Le Moyne, and came away with a 1-3 record. They first traveled to Bryant on Friday, Nov. 7 and fell, 38-64, before facing their 54-56 loss against Pitt on Tuesday, Nov. 11. 

They earned their first two victories in consecutive games over Mercyhurst on Friday, Nov. 14 (53-49) and Canisius (62-50) on Sunday, Nov. 16. Most recently, Cornell faltered against Colgate, 54-60, in their home-opener this past Tuesday.

Through their first five games, junior guard/forward Rachel Kaus leads the team with 12.0 points per game and a .451 rate from the field. Senior forward Emily Pape sits just behind with 11.6 points with a .378 three-point percentage through her first 37 attempts from behind the arc this season. Pape also leads with 7.4 rebounds while sophomore guard Paige Engels has added a team-high 16 assists while averaging 10.6 points per game.

Cornell returns nine players from its 2024-25 team that went 7-20 overall and failed to earn an Ivy League Tournament berth. They'll be joined by five freshmen newcomers, as well.

The Big Red lost their leading scorer, shot-maker, and free-throw shooter from last season, but retained Pape who finished second in scoring (10.6 ppg), steals (23), and blocks (13) in 2024-25.

Cornell's team was voted to finish seventh of eight in the Ivy League Preseason Coaches' Poll after going 3-11 in conference play last season.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will hit the road once again for a meeting with Bucknell at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at the Sojka Pavilion in Lewisburg, Pa.