Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team hosted LIU at Ted Grant Court on Thursday night as the Sharks came away with an 84-65 victory over the Dolphins. The 'Phins now sit with a 5-17 record on the year with a 3-6 mark in NEC matchups.
Senior guard Sierra Linnin (Valley Cottage, N.Y. / Albertus Magnus) led all players with 24 points including six three-pointers and a perfect 4-4 rate from the free-throw line. She shot 7-12 overall (.583) with three rebounds, one assist, and one steal in the loss.
Freshman guard Peyton Dincher (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore) and junior forward Sydney Postell (Churchville, N.Y. / Churchville-Chili) also finished with double-digit points for the home squad, recording 14 and 11, respectively. Dincher shot 4-6 (.667) from the field with a 4-4 mark from behind the line. Postell added seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 33 minutes on the hardwood.
Junior forward Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, N.Y. / John Jay / Mineral Area College) led the Dolphins with eight rebounds, just ahead of Postell, and six assists on Thursday night to go along with nine points.
Le Moyne shot 21-52 (40.4%) from the field and 113-28 (46.4%) from three with 16 points coming from the paint and 11 off turnovers.
Janessa Williams led LIU with 23 points on 9-12 (.750) shooting overall and a 5-7 night from three-point range. She tallied six rebounds, two assists, and one steal, as well. Kadidia Toure finished behind Williams with 19 points, including nine from the free-throw line. Kionna Gaines led the Sharks with 11 rebounds in just 25 minutes on the court.
LIU worked to a quick 6-0 lead in the opening minutes before a free throw from Postell and back-to-back threes out of the hands of Linnin put the Dolphins ahead. Le Moyne closed out the final four minutes of the first quarter on a 7-3 run behind layups from Buragas and senior guard Michelina Lombardi (Wynantskill, N.Y. / Averill Park), and another three from Linnin, to head to the first break with a 14-11 lead.
A pair of early buckets from deep by Dincher kept the 'Phins ahead before both teams traded scores in the midway point of the second quarter. More threes from Postell and Dincher kept Le Moyne in striking distance while a fastbreak three-pointer from Linnin with 2:42 remaining tied the game at 31-31. The Sharks closed out the first half on a 9-1 run and held a 40-32 advantage at the intermission.
Linnin connected on two more threes over the first three minutes out of the break, but the Sharks caught fire offensively, out-scoring the Dolphins, 12-6, before the 5:00 mark. A late three-pointer from freshman guard Kayden Clark (Oakhurst, N.J. / Manasquan) lessened the deficit, but Le Moyne faced a 59-46 hole into the final quarter of play.
The 'Phins were able to cut their deficit to single digits multiple times in the final frame, on a three from Dincher with 7:51 remaining and on free throws from both Linnin and Buragas later on, but LIU's offense never wavered. The visitors piled on an additional 12 points in the final two minutes of play to come away with an 84-65 victory in Syracuse.
What's Next:
The Dolphins will travel to Stonehill for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off against the Skyhawks on Saturday, Jan. 31.
