Le Moyne (5-14, 3-3 NEC) at Wagner (7-10, 3-3 NEC)
Info: Thursday, Jan. 22 | 7:00 P.M. | Staten Island, N.Y. | Spiro Sports Center
Watch: NEC Front Row
Listen: FOX Sports 92.5 FM / 1490 AM
Live Stats: https://wagnerathletics.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Wagner's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Staten Island, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team will travel to Wagner College for an NEC matchup against the Seahawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22. The game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row and  FOX Sports 92.5 FM / 1490 AM from the Spiro Sports Center. 

Season Summary:
The Dolphins will meet Wagner with a 5-14 overall record and have gone 3-3 in NEC action 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. 

The team traveled to New Haven for their first road conference game of the season on Thursday, Jan. 8 and came away with a 48-40 win over the Chargers before coming out on top at CCSU, 65-61, on Saturday, Jan. 10. 

Last week, the Dolphins traveled to Brooklyn and fell to LIU, 78-68, on Thursday, Jan. 15 before dropping a home matchup with Chicago State, 61-55, two days later. 

Stat Leaders:
Through the team's 19 games played this season, junior forward Ashley Buragas leads the team as their sole double-digit scorer with 11.2 points per game, just ahead of sophomore guard Eli Clark (9.6) and senior guard Sierra Linnin (9.3).

Buragas is shooting a team-high 88-164 (.537) 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), second in steals with 17 (behind junior guard Jessica Wangolo), third in assists with 33, and third in minutes played per game with 24.7 this season.

Linnin leads the Dolphins with 41 made three-pointers while starting in all 19 games along with Buragas, is shooting 19-21 (.905) from the line, and is second on the team with 27.9 minutes on the hardwood per game.

E. Clark leads the squad in minutes played (30.1), is second in total assists (47), and is third in field goals made with 54 through 17 games started this season. 

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through six conference games, Buragas sits fourth in the NEC scoring with 16.3  points per game while Linnin ranks tied for 16th with 11.7 in the same category.

Buragas sits atop the league in field-goal percentage (.582), tied for seventh in rebounds per game (6.5), and tied for 10th in free-throw rate on 28 attempts (.714).

Linnin also sits tied for fifth in threes made per game (2.3).

Wangolo ranks third in assists (4.0) tied for 10th in steals (1.5), and is tied with E. Clark for fifth in assist to turnover ratio (1.2).

E. Clark ranks tied for sixth in assists (3.5), eighth in free-throw rate (.786), and 20th in minutes played (30.8) through four conference appearances.

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne hosted the Chicago State Cougars in an NEC matchup on Saturday afternoon and dropped the matinee clash, 61-55.

Buragas set a new career-high for the second straight game and led all players with 23 points in the loss. She shot 9-15 from the floor and was 5-6 from the free-throw line while adding five rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes of play.

Linnin  also finished in the double-digits for the 'Phins, contributing 16 points on 5-13 shooting with a trio of three-pointers and a 3-4 mark from the charity stripe. She also tied junior forward Sydney Postell for the team lead in rebounds with eight, as both players set new career-highs in the category.

Wangolo added a team-best six rebounds with one steal against the Cougars.

Le Moyne shot 31.1% from the field and went 13-16 (81.3%) from the line. They added 30 points in the paint with 13 second chance points, as well.

Series History:
Le Moyne holds a 3-1 record over Wagner since the Dolphins began their transition to NCAA Division I and joined the NEC prior to the 2023-24 season. 

The Dolphins took the first three meetings of the series with two wins coming during the 2024-25 season and another in their home matchup with the Seahawks last February 1. Wagner came out on top, 61-56, at home in the most recent contest on Feb. 13 last season.

In the 'Phins victory on Feb. 1, Linnin led all players with 17 points on four three-pointers while adding three rebounds and a pair of assists in 33 minutes off the bench. Fellow E. Clark also appeared against the Seahawks, tallying eight points and three assists in 35 minutes, also off the bench. Postell and current senior guard Michelina Lombardi both got the starting nod and saw three minutes of action apiece in the game.

Common Opponents:
Aside from their NEC rivals, the Dolphins and Seahawks both met Lafayette and Cornell during their non-conference schedules.

The Dolphins earned their first win of the season, 82-79, in overtime at Lafayette on Nov. 9, 11 days before Wagner hosted the Leopards and fell, 56-53.

Le Moyne then hosted Cornell at Ted Grant Court on Nov. 22 and dropped the matchup, 52-51, in overtime while Wagner came away with a 67-54 win over the Big Red at home on Nov. 30.

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 two NEC Weekly Awards and seven NEC Prime Performer honors so far this season.

Rookies of the Week:
Kayden Clark (Nov. 10)
Peyton Dincher (Jan. 20)

Prime Performers:
Ashley Buragas (Nov. 10, Dec. 31, Jan. 6, Jan. 20)
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 Seahawks:
Wagner has played to a 7-10 record through 17 games played this season and have gone 3-3 since NEC play began earlier this month. The 2025-26 season marks head coach Terrell Coburn's fifth at the helm of the women's basketball program.

The Seahawks defeated Chicago State (62-51) and Stonehill (62-59) to begin conference action before falling in three straight against Saint Francis (75-67), Mercyhurst (69-66), and FDU (56-46) from Jan. 8-15. They rebounded in their most recent game at home against New Haven, as they came out on top, 50-45, versus the Chargers on Saturday, Jan. 17.

In their most recent game, redshirt junior guard Klea Kaci tied for the game-high with 15 points to go along with two rebounds, and one steal in 25 minutes off the bench. Senior center Hawa Balde-Camara led the team with six rebounds while senior guard Irene Fernandez de Caleya put up a game-best five assists.

Through 17 games played, junior center Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor leads the team with 10.9 points on 45.9% shooting from the field while also adding a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game. Fernandez de Caleya has added 9.8 points through 14 games while sophomore guard Keana Foz sits with 8.2 points per game for the team this season.

Wagner returns 10 players from their 2024-25 team that went 8-21 overall and fell in the quarterfinal round of the NEC Tournament against #2 Stonehill. They are joined by three transfers and one freshman newcomer, Alivia Landy, this season.

The Seahawks were voted to finish seventh in the NEC's Preseason Coaches Poll after going 5-11 in conference play a season ago.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will return home to face FDU at 1:00 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 24.