Le Moyne (5-13, 3-2 NEC) vs Chicago State (2-16, 1-4 NEC)
Info: Saturday, Jan. 17 | 1:00 P.M. | Syracuse, N.Y. | Ted Grant Court at the Donald J. Savage '51 Basketball Arena
Watch: NEC Front Row
Listen: WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Chicago State's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team will return to central New York for their first home game in nearly two weeks as they host Chicago State at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17. The conference matchup will be broadcast on NEC Front Row and WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM from the newly renamed Ted Grant Court at the Donald J. Savage '51 Basketball Arena. 

Season Summary:
The Dolphins come into the game with a 5-13 overall record and have gone 3-2 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, Jan. 10. 

In their most recent matchup, the Dolphins traveled to Brooklyn and fell to LIU, 79-68, this past Thursday, Jan. 15. 

Stat Leaders:
Through 18 games played this season, junior forward Ashley Buragas leads the team as their sole double-digit scorer with 10.6 points per game, just ahead of sophomore guard Eli Clark (9.6) and senior guard Sierra Linnin (8.9).

Buragas is shooting a team-best 79-149 (.530) from the field and leads the squad with 6.1 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 38 made three-pointers through 18 games started, is shooting 16-17 (.941) from the line, and is second on the team with 27.7 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 in all but one game this season. 

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through a handful of conference games, Buragas sits fifth in the NEC scoring with 15.0 points per game while Linnin ranks tied for 21st with 10.8 in the same category.

Buragas ranks third in field-goal percentage (.577), tied for fifth in rebounds per game (6.8), and 11th in free-throw rate on 22 attempts (.682).

Linnin sits tied for fifth in threes made per game (2.2) and tied for 12th in steals (1.4).

Wangolo also ranks tied for fifth in assists (3.6), tied for eighth in steals (1.6), and tied for 24th in rebounding (4.4).

E. Clark ranks eighth in assists (3.5), seventh in free-throw rate (.786), eighth in assist to turnover ratio (1.2), and tied for 18th in minutes played (30.8).

Other 'Phins on the leaderboard include freshman guard Peyton Dincher who leads the NEC with a perfect 12-12 rate from the free-throw line and freshman forward Praise Matthews who sits tied for 12th in blocks with 0.6 per game.

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne closed out their three-game road slate and traveled to LIU on Thursday night, falling, 79-68, against the Sharks.

Dincher 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. 

Buragas and junior forward Sydney Postell 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 led the team with a career-best five rebounds while Wangolo put up a team-high five assists in the loss.

Le Moyne shot 53.5% (23-43) from the field, their best mark in a single game since transitioning to Division I (2/11/23 at American International College) against the Sharks.

They also 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.

Series History:
Le Moyne and Chicago State are an even 1-1 in their matchups since the Cougars joined the NEC prior to the 2024-25 season. 

The Dolphins took the opening game in Syracuse last January, 77-71 in overtime, before Chicago State earned a 76-60 win over the 'Phins in Illinois in mid-February. 

In the 'Phins victory on Jan. 18, current senior guard Sierra Linnin led all players with 28 points with seven three-pointers and four rebounds in 40 minutes of play. Fellow current guard Eli Clark also started against the Cougars, registering nine points and a career-best 10 assists in 39 minutes on the court. 

Common Opponents:
Aside from their NEC rivals, the Dolphins and Cougars had one common opponent earlier this season in the University of Pittsburgh. 

The Dolphins traveled to take on the Panthers on Nov. 18 and dropped the matchup, 87-65, 11 days before Chicago State met Pitt in a neutral game and fell, 67-53, during the 2025 Florida Gulf Classic Challenge. 

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 Chicago State:
The Cougars have earned a 2-16 record to begin the 2025-26 season and have gone 1-4 since NEC action began earlier this month. Head coach Corry Irvin is in her second season leading the program.

The team's lone NEC victory came at home against Stonehill, 51-48, on Saturday, Jan. 10 while they have dropped their meetings with Wagner (62-51), LIU (60-51), FDU (91-64), and New Haven (63-56) in recent weeks. 

In their most recent game at New Haven, sophomore guard Keona McGee and junior guard Chloe Sisco tied for the team-lead with 12 points apiece while sophomore guard Kyara Champagne registered 11, as well. Senior guard Tania Allen recorded a team-best five rebounds as Sisco tied junior forward Kace Urlacher with a Cougar-leading three assists in the loss. 

Through 10 games played, sophomore guard Aiyanna Culver leads the team with 12.8 points per game but has not seen action since mid-December. Beyond Culver, sophomore guard Natalia Williams has averaged 8.2 points per game while McGee sits with 7.9 while being the only player to start all 18 team games. 

Sophomore center Kayla Mount leads the squad with 4.5 rebounds per game and a .526 field goal rate while McGee has added a team-high 26 assists.

Chicago State returns nine players from their 2024-25 team that went 7-26 overall and fell in the semifinal round of the NEC Tournament against #1 FDU. They are joined by two transfers, Sisco and redshirt sophomore guard Brianna Hill, and four freshman newcomers this season.

The Cougars were voted to finish third in the NEC's Preseason Coaches Poll, just ahead of the Dolphins, after going 6-10 in conference play a season ago while Culver was selected to the preseason All-NEC Team.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will hit the road once again for a matchup with Wagner on Staten Island at 7:00 p.m. this coming Thursday, Jan. 22.