Le Moyne (4-12, 2-1 NEC) at Central Connecticut State (0-14, 0-3 NEC)
Info: Saturday, Jan. 10 | 1:00 P.M. | New Britain Conn. | Detrick Gymnasium
Watch: NEC Front Row
Listen: WSIV 106.3 FM/1540 AM
Live Stats: https://www.ccsubluedevils.com/sports/wbkb/2025-26/boxscores/20260110_s0aa.xml
CCSU's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

New Britain, Conn. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team will continue their Connecticut road trip as they take on the CCSU Blue Devils at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10. The matchup will be broadcast on NEC Front Row and WSIV 106.3 FM/1540 AM from Detrick Gymnasium.

Season Summary:
The Dolphins are 4-12 overall and 2-1 in conference action following the entirety of their 2025-26 non-conference slate and three NEC matchups.  

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. 

This past 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.

Stat Leaders:
Through 15 games played, junior forward Ashley Buragas and senior guard Sierra Linnin lead all Dolphins in scoring with 9.7 points per game. 

Buragas is shooting a team-best 64-124 (.516) from the field and leads the squad with 6.0 rebounds per game while sitting tied for first in steals with 15 (Linnin and Eli Clark), tied for second in blocks with five (Kayden Clark), third in assists with 30, and third in minutes played per game with 24.3 this season.

Linnin leads the Dolphins with 27 made three-pointers through 16 games played, is shooting 14-15 (.933) from the line, and is second on the team with 28.3 minutes on the hardwood peer game.

Sophomore guard Eli Clark (9.6) sits just behind Buragas and Linnin in scoring for Le Moyne. Clark leads the team in total assists (47) and minutes played (30.2) while having started every game this season. 

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through three conference games, Linnin ranks seventh in the NEC in scoring with 16.3 points per game while Buragas sits just outside the top-10 with 13.3 points per contest.

Buragas sits third in field-goal percentage (.556), sixth in rebounding per game (6.7), and 11th in free-throw rate on 15 attempts (.667), just behind E. Clark and Jessica Wangolo. 

Linnin sits second in threes made per game (3.3), third in three-point percentage (.357), fourth in steals (2.3), eighth in field-goal percentage (.447), and 18th in minutes played (30.7).

Eli Clark ranks second in assists (4.7), tied for seventh in free-throw rate (.750), eighth in assist to turnover ratio (14-11), and 16th in minutes played (31.3).

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne traveled to New Haven for their opening road NEC game of the season on Thursday night and came away with a 48-40 victory over the Chargers. 

Senior guard Sierra Linnin led all players in scoring for the second consecutive game, tallying 17 points on 5-13 (38.5%) shooting from the field, a 4-12 (33.3%) rate from beyond the arc, and a 3-4 mark from the free-throw line. 

Linnin added three rebounds and tied her career-high in steals with four (12/31/23 vs Princeton) in 32 minutes on the hardwood.

Sophomore guard Eli Clark finished just behind Linnin with 13 points on 4-6 (66.7%) shooting overall, a 1-3 three-point rate, and a perfect 4-4 mark from the charity stripe. E. Clark registered a team-leading five assists to go along with four boards and one steal in a team-high 34 minutes.

Juniors Ashley Buragas and Jessica Wangolo finished tied for the team-lead in rebounds with five.

Le Moyne shot 38.5% (15-39) from the field but held New Haven to a 33.3% (17-51) mark in the same category. The Dolphins' 31.6% (6-19) rate from three and 75.0% (12-16) night at the line also ranked higher than the Chargers. 

Series History:
Le Moyne currently holds a 3-1 record against CCSU after playing the Blue Devils twice per year since joining the NEC prior to the 2023-24 season. 

The Dolphins swept the season series in 2023-24 before falling in their road matchup last January, 67-50, and coming out on top at home, 75-64, one month later. 

In their most recent meeting last season, four current 'Phins saw time on the hardwood with three getting the starting nod. Sierra Linnin, Michelina Lombardi, and Eli Clark all started for Le Moyne and saw more than 15 minutes while Sydney Postell also came off the bench.

Clark and Postell tallied eight points apiece while Linnin finished with six on a pair of threes-pointers and Lombardi added three points and a pair of rebounds, as well. 

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

Le Moyne opened the season in Queens on Nov. 3 against the Red Storm and fell, 68-53, before CCSU met a similar fate against the Johnnies, dropping their Nov. 24 meeting, 71-46.

The Dolphins and Blue Devils both then fell short at Pitt later in the season, with Le Moyne falling  87-65 and CCSU coming away with a 68-43 defeat. 

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 CCSU:
The Blue Devils have struggled to begin the 2025-26 season and enter Saturday's contest with an 0-14 record overall and 0-3 mark in NEC action. Head coach Kristin Caruso is in her first season as the permanent leader of the program after spending the 2024-25 season as acting head coach.

During the first three NEC games of the season, CCSU has fallen to LIU, 72-56, at home and both New Haven (70-51) and Stonehill (71-53) on the road. 

In their latest loss to Stonehill, freshman forward Kiyah Lewis led all players with 21 points to go along with a team-best six rebounds. Sophomore guard Jessica Farrell (11) and senior forward  Lucia Noin (10) both also finished in the double-digits in scoring for the Blue Devils. 

Through 12 games played, Lewis leads the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game, just ahead of Noin (11.0) and Farrell (9.8) who have each played in all 14 team games.

Noin brings in a team-best 6.3 rebounds and dishes out a team-leading 2.4 assists per contest this season. 

CCSU returns five players from their 2024-25 team that went 11-19 overall and fell in the quarterfinal round of the NEC Tournament against Chicago State. They are joined by one transfer, senior guard Trinity Barnes, and seven freshman newcomers this season.

The Blue Devils were voted to finish fifth in the NEC's Preseason Coaches Poll after going 10-6 in conference play a season ago.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will head to LIU for another road NEC matchup at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15.