Le Moyne (3-12, 1-1 NEC) at New Haven (4-9, 2-0 NEC)
Info: Sunday, Jan. 4 | 1:00 P.M. | Syracuse, N.Y. | Ted Grant Court
Watch: NEC Front Row
Listen: WSIV 106.3 FM/1540 AM
Live Stats: https://newhavenchargers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
New Haven's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

West Haven, Conn. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team will travel to NEC-newcomer New Haven for their first road conference game of the season at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8. The matchup will be broadcast on NEC Front Row and WSIV 106.3 FM/1540 AM from the Hazell Center. 

Season Summary:
The Dolphins are 3-12 overall and 1-1 in conference action following the entirety of their 2025-26 non-conference slate and opening NEC weekend.  

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.

Stat Leaders:
Through 15 games played, junior forward Ashley Buragas (9.4) leads all Dolphins in scoring with 9.9 points per game while shooting a team-best 61-116 (.526) from the field. Buragas also leads the team with 6.1 rebounds per game while sitting second in steals (13), tied for second in blocks (six), third in assists (27), and third in minutes played per game (24.2) this season.

Sophomore guard Eli Clark (9.4) and senior guard Sierra Linnin (9.2) sit just behind Buragas in scoring for Le Moyne. Clark leads the team in total assists (42) and minutes played (29.9) while Linnin has connected on a team-high 33 shots from three-point range and is a perfect 11-11 from the charity stripe this season.

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through a pair of conference games played, Ashley Buragas and Sierra Linnin rank sixth and seventh in the NEC in scoring with 17.0 and 16.0 points per game, respectively. 

Buragas sits third in field-goal percentage (.632), seventh in rebounding per game (7.5), and 12th in free-throw rate on 15 attempts (.667). 

Linnin sits second in threes made per game (3.0), fourth in three-point percentage (.375), fourth in steals (3.0), fifth in field-goal percentage (.480), and tied for 20th in minutes played (30.0).

Eli Clark ranks second in assists (4.5), tied for 11th in assist to turnover ratio (9-7), 14th in free-throw rate (.625), tied for 17th in scoring (11.0), tied for 18th in rebounding (4.5), and tied with Linnin for 20th in minutes played (30.0).

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne suffered an 89-72 defeat at the hands of Mercyhurst in their second NEC game of the season on Sunday afternoon. 

Sierra Linnin led all players in scoring against Mercyhurst, registering 21 points on 8-16 (50.0%) shooting from the field, a 3-9 (33.3%) rate from deep, and a perfect 2-2 mark from the line. Linnin also put up a team-high two steals and finished second on the team with both six rebounds and 29 minutes on the court. Linnin added a block on the defensive end, as well. 

Ashley Buragas also finished in double-digits for Le Moyne, recording 18 points on 7-10 (70.0%) shooting overall and 4-7 (57.1%) from the charity stripe. Buragas led the squad with 10 rebounds, marking her third double-double of the season, and added one block in 27 minutes on the hardwood. 

Both Linnin and Buragas were named NEC Prime Performers after the games on Monday, Jan. 6. 

Jessica Wangolo and sophomore guard Eli Clark tied for a team-best three assists in the loss.

Le Moyne connected on 44.8% (26-58) of their shots from the field while adding 44 points in the paint and 19 bench points. The team also set a new season-high in points off turnovers (19) for the second straight game.

Series History:
Le Moyne sits with a 23-16 overall series record against New Haven with their first meeting coming during the 1992-93 season. 

The two programs met nine times as co-members of the New England Collegiate Conference from '92-'96 until the Dolphins left the conference prior to the 1996-97 season. They met on 29 more occasions as members of the NE10 once New Haven joined ahead of the 2008-09 campaign. 

Their contests included two conference playoff matchups (1995, 2019) and one non-conference game during the 2001-02 season.

Le Moyne currently holds a five-game winning streak over the Chargers dating back to Feb. 2020 and are 11-2 over the series' last 13 games since Nov. 2016. 

Common Opponents:
Aside from their NEC rivals, the Dolphins and Chargers both met St. John's earlier this season.

Le Moyne opened the season in Queens on Nov. 3 against the Red Storm and fell, 68-53, before the Johnnies traveled to New Haven and came out on top, 67-47, on Dec. 17. 

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. 

Checking on the Chargers:
New Haven closed out their non-conference slate possessing a 2-9 record before opening the NEC season with a pair of wins at home this past weekend. Head coach Debbie Buff enters her seventh season as leader of the Chargers' program in 2025-26.

During the NEC-opening weekend, the Chargers took down Stonehill, 66-61, and CCSU, 70-51, at home in their first games as members of the conference.

In their latest win against CCSU, senior forward Aniya McDonald-Perry (22), senior guard/forward Lindsay Hogan (14) and sophomore forward Addisen Sulikowski (14) all finished in the double-digits to lead New Haven. McDonald-Perry led the team with 11 rebounds to tally the double-double while Hogan added another seven boards and Sulikowski led the game with six assists. 

McDonald-Perry was named the NEC Player of the Week after the team's pair of wins on Jan. 6. 

Through 13 team games, Hogan leads with 13.5 points per game, just ahead of McDonald-Perry who sits with 12.0.

The pair rank in reverse order for first and second on the team in rebounds with 8.2 and 6.7 per game, respectively. They also lead in assists per game as Hogan has 2.7 and McDonald-Perry sits at 2.5 this season.

New Haven returns eight players from their 2024-25 season where they went 17-11 overall and fell in the opening round of the NE10 Tournament against Assumption. They are joined by one transfer, Sulikowski, and eight freshman newcomers this season.

The Chargers were voted to finish ninth in the NEC's Preseason Coaches Poll after announcing their move to the conference and NCAA Division I prior to the 2025-26 season.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will travel to CCSU for a meeting with the Blue Devils at 1:00 pm. on Saturday, Jan. 10.