Brooklyn, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team closed out their three-game road slate and traveled to LIU to take on the Sharks on Thursday night. The Dolphins fell, 79-68, and now sit with a 5-13 record overall and are 3-2 NEC play this season.
Freshman guard Peyton Dincher (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore) led the Dolphins' offense and recorded a new career-high in points for the second straight game with 23 in 31 minutes off the bench. Dincher shot 7-10 from the field with three shots from beyond the arc and a perfect 6-6 rate from the line.
Junior forward Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, N.Y. / John Jay / Mineral Area College) and junior forward Sydney Postell (Churchville, N.Y. / Churchville-Chili) also tallied career-highs in points with 21 and 17 for the Dolphins. Buragas shot 9-12 (75.0%) from the field while Postell went 5-6 (83.3%) overall and 3-3 from three-point range to go along with a 4-4 mark from the charity stripe.
Sophomore guard Sophia Bonnell (Horseheads, N.Y. / Horseheads / SUNY New Paltz) led the team with a career-best five rebounds while junior guard Jessica Wangolo (Ottawa, O.N. / Capital Courts Academy / Buffalo) put up a team-high five assists in the loss.
Le Moyne shot a season-best 53.5% (23-43) from the field and went 53.8% (7-13) from three with an 83.3% (15-18) mark from the line. They added 26 points off the bench and 16 points off turnovers, as well.
Janessa Williams led all players with 24 points and nine rebounds for the Sharks while Solangelei Akridge followed closely behind with 23 points of her own. Kadidia Toure also finished in double-digit points with 14 while Kionna Gaines led with six assists.
Both teams got off to a hot start offensively, tying at 8-8 just over three minutes into the game. LIU quickly went on an 11-0 run in under two minutes at that point which lasted until Dincher connected on her first three-pointer of the game at the 4:19 mark. The Dolphins rebounded and outscored the Sharks 9-5 to finish out the opening frame with a three from Postell and late layup from Buragas highlighting the stretch.
Buragas opened the scoring in the second quarter and pulled the 'Phins back within two points, 24-22, before LIU went on another lengthy streak of 10 unanswered points. Three straight buckets from behind the arc by Postell, senior guard Sierra Linnin (Valley Cottage, N.Y. / Albertus Magnus), and Dincher lessened the deficit back to six points with 3:39 left in the half before Le Moyne allowed eight points while only connecting on a free-throw from K. Clark to close it out.
Coming out of halftime, the Sharks led 45-32 before Williams connected on a fastbreak layup on LIU's opening possession. Buragas drained three free-throw shots and a jumper to keep the Dolphins in the scoring column over the next few minutes before the team went on a 14-5 run that brought them back within seven, 58-51, and drew the third quarter to a close.
A layup from Buragas and three out of the hands of Dincher kept the Dolphins moving offensively while the Sharks connected on four three-pointers in the first four minutes of the final quarter of play. LIU closed out the game on a 9-8 streak and kept their lead intact the rest of the way, finishing out a 79-68 win over Le Moyne.
What's Next:
The Dolphins will return home to Ted Grant Court for a Saturday afternoon matchup with Chicago State at 1:00 p.m. on Jan. 17.
