Le Moyne (5-12, 3-1 NEC) at LIU (9-6, 4-0 NEC)
Info: Thursday, Jan. 15 | 7:00 P.M. | Brooklyn, N.Y. | Steinberg Wellness Center
Watch: NEC Front Row
Listen: FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM
Live Stats: https://www.liuathletics.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
LIU's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Brooklyn, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team will finish out their three-game road slate and travel to LIU for a meeting with the Sharks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15. The game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row and FOX Sports 92.5 FM/1490 AM from the Steinberg Wellness Center. 

Season Summary:
The Dolphins hold a 5-12 overall record and have gone 3-1 in conference play so far this season.  

They opened the season against St. John's on Nov. 3 and dropped the matchup, 68-53, before downing Lafayette, 82-79, in overtime in their lone win of the season thus far on Nov. 9. Le Moyne then fell to seventh-ranked Baylor, 99-43, in Waco, T.X. on Nov. 16 before traveling to Pitt and coming away with a 87-65 defeat on Nov. 18. 

To finish out November, the Dolphins dropped their home-opener to Cornell, 52-51, in overtime at Ted Grant Court on Nov. 22 and a road matchup at Bucknell, 65-41, on Nov. 25 before dropping another road meeting against Illinois, 100-28, on Nov. 30.

Through December, Le Moyne dropped a home set against St. Bonaventure on Dec. 6 with the Bonnies coming out on top, 66-57, before hitting the road for two games at Marquette (89-42) and Bowling Green (74-46) on Dec. 14 and 16. 

The squad then dropped a pair of games in the Hawk Classic from Dec. 21-21 against host St. Joe's, 100-40, and Akron, 94-68 before closing out their non-conference schedule with a home win over SUNY Geneseo, 67-55, on Tuesday, Dec. 30.

The Dolphins earned a win in their NEC opener against Saint Francis, 73-69, also at home on Friday, Jan. 2 before falling short in their meeting with Mercyhurst, 89-72, at Ted Grant Court two days later. 

Last Thursday, the team traveled to New Haven for their first road conference game of the season and came away with a 48-40 win over the Chargers before coming out on top at CCSU, 65-61, on Saturday.

Stat Leaders:
Through 16 team games this season, junior forward Ashley Buragas leads the team with 9.9 points per game, just ahead of sophomore guard Eli Clark (9.6) and senior guard Sierra Linnin (9.2).

Buragas is shooting a team-best 70-137 (.511) from the field and leads the squad with 6.4 rebounds per game while sitting tied for first in blocks (with freshman guard Kayden Clark) tied for second in steals with 15 (with Linnin, behind junior guard Jessica Wangolo), third in assists with 31, and third in minutes played per game with 24.4 this season.

Linnin leads the Dolphins with 37 made three-pointers through 17 games started, is shooting 16-17 (.941) from the line, and is second on the team with 28.2 minutes on the hardwood per game.

E. Clark leads the team in total assists (47) and minutes played (30.1) and is second in buckets with 54 while having started every game this season. 

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through four conference games, Buragas sits tied for 10th in the NEC scoring with 13.5 points per game while Linnin ranks tied for 14th with 12.8 in the same category.

Buragas ranks second in rebounds per game (8.3). fifth in field-goal percentage (.525), and 13th in free-throw rate on 18 attempts (.667).

Linnin sits fourth in threes made per game (2.5), fourth in three-point percentage (.303), tied for sixth in steals (1.8), and tied for 20th in minutes played (29.8).

Eli Clark ranks tied for sixth in assists (3.5), tied for sixth in assist to turnover ratio with Wangolo (1.2), seventh in free-throw rate (.786), and 19th in minutes played (30.8).

Other 'Phins on the leaderboards include Wangolo in assists (9th - 3.3), free-throw rate (11th - .706), steals (tied for 10th - 1.5), and rebounding (tied for 16th - 5.0), K. Clark in three-pointers made per game (tied for 11th - 1.5), and freshman forward Praise Matthews in blocks (tied for ninth - 0.8).

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne traveled to CCSU and earned their second consecutive road victory, 65-61, on Saturday afternoon.

Freshman guard Peyton Dincher led the way for the Dolphins with a career-high 15 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Dincher shot a career-best 5-8 (62.5%) from the field with one three-pointer and a perfect 4-4 mark from the line. She added five rebounds and one assist, as well.

Junior forward Ashley Buragas tallied her fourth double-double of the season after contributing 14 points on 6-13 (46.2%) shooting from the field and a team-high 13 rebounds. 

Sophomore guard Eli Clark, junior guard Jessica Wangolo, and junior forward Sydney Postell added nine, eight, and seven points, respectively in the win. Wangolo was impactful on the boards, as well, tying her career-high in rebounds with seven. 

Le Moyne shot 38.1% (24-63) from the field and 81.3% (13-16) from the line with 40 of their points coming in the paint and 27 coming off the bench.

Series History:
Le Moyne holds a 3-1 record all-time against LIU after taking on the Sharks twice per year since joining the NEC prior to the 2023-24 season. 

The Dolphins swept the season series in 2023-24 before falling in their road matchup last January, 59-48, and coming out on top at home, 83-53, one month later. 

In their most recent meeting last season, four current 'Phins saw playing time off the bench with two registering over 20 minutes. Current senior Sierra Linnin led all players with 25 points on 8-15 (53.3%) shooting overall and 7-13 (53.8%) from three. She was also a perfect 4-4 from the line with a pair of rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 28 minutes on the court.

Common Opponents:
Aside from their NEC rivals, the Dolphins and Sharks have no common opponents 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.

2025-26 NEC Weekly Award Winners & Prime Performers:
Dolphins players have earned one NEC Weekly Award and six NEC Prime Performer honors so far this season.

Weekly Award Winners:
Rookie of the Week - Kayden Clark (Nov. 10)

Prime Performers:
Ashley Buragas (Nov. 10, Dec. 31, Jan. 6)
Kayden Clark (Nov. 10)
Eli Clark (Nov. 24)
Sierra Linnin (Jan. 6)

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, 60-41, in the semifinals. 

Scouting the Sharks:
LIU has played to a 9-6 record to begin the 2025-26 season and enter Thursday's contest with a 4-0 mark in NEC action, good enough to place them atop the conference standings along with FDU. 

Head coach Neil Harrow is in his first season as the leader of the program.

The Sharks have earned wins on the road against CCSU (72-56), Mercyhurst (86-81), and Saint Francis (77-61) while coming out on top at home over Chicago State (60-51) since NEC play began earlier this month. 

In their latest win over Saint Francis on Saturday, senior forward Kadidia Toure led all players with 22 points and 10 rebounds while graduate guard Hannah Humphrey (15), sophomore forward Laura Molnarova (13), and junior guard Janessa Williams (12) all also finished with double-digit points. 

Through 14 games, Toure leads all NEC players in scoring with 19.7 points per game and sits ahead of Williams who is their only other double-digit scorer with 10.4.

Toure also brings in a conference-best 10.6 rebounds per game while junior guard Solangelei Akridge has added a team-high 35 assists.

LIU returns just one player, Williams, from their 2024-25 team that went 6-24 overall and fell in the quarterfinal round of the NEC Tournament against #1 FDU. They are joined by seven transfers and five freshman newcomers this season.

The Sharks were voted to finish eighth in the NEC's Preseason Coaches Poll after going 3-13 in conference play a season ago.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will return home to host Chicago State at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17.