Easton, Pa. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team traveled to Lafayette College and took down the Leopards, 82-79, in overtime on Sunday afternoon. Through two games, the Dolphins now sit with a 1-1 record on the young season.
Le Moyne junior forward Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, N.Y. / John Jay / Mineral Area College) recorded a 20-point, 22-rebound double-double in the win while shooting 9-15 from the field.
Her 22 rebounds mark the second-most ever in program history and the most since Jennifer Shea registered 24 in January 1988. Buragas also added the team-high in assists with six and one steal through 34 minutes of action.
Sophomore guard Eli Clark (Oakhurst, N.J. / Ocean Township) and freshman guard Kayden Clark (Oakhurst, N.J. / Manasquan) each set career-high point totals to finish in double-digits with 20 and 17, respectively. E. Clark went 9-10 from the charity stripe with eight rebounds while K. Clark added a team-best three buckets from beyond the arc. The latter also added seven rebounds, matching the total for senior guard Sierra Linnin (Valley Cottage, N.Y. / Albertus Magnus).
Redshirt sophomore Amya McLeod (Rome, N.Y. / Rome Free Academy / Youngstown State) added nine points, three free-throws, and one block for Le Moyne.
Le Moyne shot 30-69 (43.5%) from the field and 16-20 (80.0%) from the line while tallying 40 points in the paint and 18 second chance points with 16 points off the bench.
Freshman guard Haylie Adamski led all players with 22 points for Lafayette while Talia Zurinskas (20) and Tasha Chudy (11) finished in double-digits, as well. Adamski registered four shots from three-point range and team-highs in rebounds with seven and steals with five as Zurinskas went 9-12 from the line and led with three assists.
Buragas opened the scoring with a layup 30 seconds into the first quarter after recording a steal. Threes from K. Clark and Linnin gave Le Moyne an 8-6 lead with 4:33 left in the frame before Buragas tallied the next six 'Phins points to extend their lead to five. Two made free throws from E. Clark and a tip-in from freshman forward Ava Johnson (Richmond, Va. / The Steward School) sent the squad to the first break with an 18-11 advantage.
Four quick points from McLeod and a jumper from Johnson set the tone early in the second quarter as the Dolphins outscored the Leopards, 15-14, through the final 4:33 of the half. Later on, K. Clark tallied seven straight points for Le Moyne before E. Clark closed out the first 20 minutes of play with a layup to put them up, 39-32.
Out of the half, the Dolphins scored four of the first seven points before Lafayette went on a 13-point run to take a 48-43 lead, their first since the 5:03 mark in the first quarter. McLeod and Buragas each tallied five points in the final four minutes as they held a 53-58 deficit heading into the final quarter of regulation.
The fourth quarter opened with back-to-back three-pointers from Zurinskas for Lafayette and K. Clark for Le Moyne before E. Clark added her own bucket from beyond the arc and a pair of free throws to bring the Dolphins back within three points, 61-64.
A layup from K. Clark with 3:10 left to play put Le Moyne within one point of tying the game up before Zurinskas added a free throw on her first of two attempts to extend the Leopards' advantage to two points. After Buragas took in the rebound on the second attempt, the Dolphins called a timeout with :22 left. E. Clark was fouled eight seconds later and drained both attempts to tie the game at 69-69 and send it to overtime.
Adamski led off the extra period with two made free throws before E. Clark tied it up once again with a jumper. The Dolphins reclaimed the lead, 74-71, on a three-point shot from freshman guard Peyton Dincher (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore) and extended it to five points with a tip-in from Buragas. With 1:03 left to play, E. Clark added another layup and then gave Le Moyne a five-point lead with a pair of free throws with :09 remaining. A late layup from Zurinskas wasn't enough to overcome the 'Phins lead in the final seconds, as Le Moyne came away with the 82-79 overtime victory.
What's Next:
Le Moyne will travel to Waco, T.X. for a meeting with the Baylor University Bears next Sunday, Nov. 16 with tip set for 3:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. CT.
