Easton, Mass. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team traveled to Stonehill and fsced a 79-54 defeat at the hands of the Skyhawks on Saturday afternoon. The Dolphins are now 5-18 overall with a 3-7 record in NEC play this season.
Junior forward Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, N.Y. / John Jay / Mineral Area College) led the team in scoring with 16 points on 7-11 shooting from the field and a 2-2 mark from the line. Her seven rebounds also ranked second on the team, behind only junior forward Sydney Postell (Churchville, N.Y. / Churchville-Chili) who had nine. Postell also recorded a team-high three assists in the loss.
Freshman guard Kayden Clark (Oakhurst, N.J. / Manasquan) also finished with double-digit points, registering 13 on 5-12 shooting overall, a pair of threes, and one free throw. She added two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a team-leading 35 minutes on the hardwood.
Senior guard Sierra Linnin (Valley Cottage, N.Y. / Albertus Magnus) finished with nine points, two rebounds, a pair of assists, and a team-high three steals in 34 minutes of play.
Le Moyne struggled offensively against Stonehill, shooting 20-63 (31.7%) overall with 30 of their points coming in the paint.
Julia Webster led all players with 22 points for Stonehill, finishing just one ahead of Brooke Paquette (21). Webster shot 11-16 from the field and added a team-high 15 rebounds to complete the double-double. Breana Delaney dished out a game-high seven rebounds for the Skyhawks.
The Dolphins came out strong offensively, taking a quick 7-4 lead at the 6:18 mark following a three from K. Clark and free throws out of the hands of Linnin. Despite allowing Stonehill to score seven unanswered points and take the lead, 11-7, Le Moyne held on and finished out the quarter on a 13-8 run.
Threes from K. Clark and fellow freshman guard Peyton Dincher (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore), along with twos from Buragas, Postell, and freshman forward Praise Matthews (Red Lion, Pa. / Dallastown) sent the 'Phins to the first break with a 20-19 advantage.
The Skyhawks came back out on the hardwood and retook the lead in the second quarter, outscoring the 'Phins, 7-2, in the opening four minutes before closing out the half with 10 straight points to go to halftime up, 40-26.
An early three out of the hands of sophomore guard Sophia Bonnell (Horseheads, N.Y. / Horseheads / SUNY New Paltz) to start the second half lessened the deficit for Le Moyne, but a layup from Paquette at the 5:21 mark put the Skyhawks up by 21 points, 56-35. The two teams traded buckets over the final half of the quarter, and a buzzer-beating layup from Linnin sent the visiting 'Phins to the final frame down by 17 points.
Both squads struggled to find the bottom of the net in the fourth quarter as layups by Buragas and Linnin marked the end of the Dolphins' day offensively with more than six minutes left in the game. Stonehill added on 10 more points in the final minutes of play to close out their 79-54 home victory.
What's Next:
The Dolphins will return home for a 6:00 p.m. meeting with Wagner at Ted Grant Court on Thursday, Feb. 5.
