WOMEN'S BASKETBALL 2026-27 SEASON PREVIEW

11/1/2026 8:55:00 PM

By: Evelyn Klein, Athletic Communications Intern

Syracuse, N.Y. – The 2026-27 Le Moyne women's basketball team will open its season in the Lone Star State, facing SMU on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and TCU on Thursday, Nov. 5. The Dolphins finished 12-21, 9-9 in conference, bowing out in the NEC semifinals against FDU to close out the 2025-26 campaign. This season, the Dolphins were voted fourth in the conference Preseason Poll.

Head coach Nick DiPillo returns 11 players this season, including four of his top five scorers: forward Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./Mineral Area) and guard trio Peyton Dincher (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore), Eli Clark (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) and Kayden Clark (Oakhurst, N.J./Manasquan). Also returning for the Dolphins are guards Jessica Wangolo (Ottawa, Ontario/Buffalo), Sophia Bonnell (Horseheads, N.Y./SUNY New Paltz) and Ava Lucarotti (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep), as well as forwards Sydney Postell (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili), Rachel Lynch (Cork, Ireland/Putnam Science Academy) and Praise Matthews (Red Lion, Pa./Dallastown).

Buragas led the Dolphins in points for 2025-26, averaging 12.7 per game across 33 contests. She shot 50% from the field, averaged 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists, and recorded 12 blocks and 28 steals. The fourth-year forward earned All-NEC Second Team honors last season. Dincher also earned NEC honors, being named to the All-Rookie Team for 2025-26. The guard was fourth in scoring, averaging 6.4 points per game, shooting with 37% proficiency from the field and 38% from 3-point range.

Eli Clark averaged a team third-best 8.0 points, team-high 2.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds across 29 games last season. The guard shot 32% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc in her second campaign with the Dolphins. Kayden Clark had a solid rookie season for Le Moyne, recording 5.7 points per game on 39% shooting and matching her sister's proficiency from the 3-point line. The 5-foot-8 guard tallied eight blocks and 24 steals through 33 games.

Wangolo and Matthews are slated as potential starters this season. Wangolo played in 31 games for Le Moyne last season, averaging 4.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists. She shot 33% from the field and 40% from deep. The fourth-year guard led the team in steals with 34. Matthews averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds across 25 games. Coming into 2026-27, Coach DiPillo emphasized her improvement from year one to year two, visible in her preseason work ethic.

Bolstering the roster, DiPillo and his staff welcome three players to Le Moyne this season: first-year guards Gianna Nichols (Sturbridge, Mass./St. George's) and Ava Bluhm (Cambridge, Ontario/Royal Crown School), and fifth-year forward Kendal Moxey (Centreville, Md./Bowling Green).

Nichols comes to Le Moyne from St. George's, where she was a McDonald's All-American nominee and a Gatorade Player of the Year finalist. Coach DiPillo describes the 5-foot-5 guard as "an absolute fireball of energy" and a "luxury" that will give the Dolphins a new look in the backcourt this season with her speed and ability to score at all three levels. Bluhm, a 5-foot-10 guard out of the Royal Crown School in Ontario, whose size, strength and basketball IQ impressed DiPillo during her recruitment, adds a "craftiness" to the 2026-27 guard pool.

Moxey's move to Le Moyne is her fourth since her collegiate career began. Last season at Bowling Green, the forward played in 30 games, finishing with almost 76% proficiency in shooting. She tallied 2.6 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game, eight blocks and nine steals across the campaign. Coach DiPillo spotlights Moxey's potential as a "dominating force" in the NEC, and a player who can "help our young kids along" as she assumes a bigger role on the team. The new additions will change the style of play for the Dolphins as they look to go farther in the postseason.

"It'll look a little bit different," said DiPillo on the season preview episode of 'Dinner with the Dolphins' last Tuesday. "Being able to play through our bigs, play a little bit more not necessarily conventionally, but utilize our size to help free things up for our shooters. Instead of being as predictable as we tended to be at times last year because we were so small."

The players aren't the only new faces on the roster. Assistant head coach Shelby Case joined the bench staff in June 2026 after serving as an assistant and head of basketball operations at Bucknell for the past two seasons.

"We are thrilled to welcome Shelby Case to The Heights," said DiPillo at the time of her hiring. "She will have an immediate impact on our player development and will play an important role in continuing to build the culture we are establishing within our program."

The staff has their work cut out for them as Le Moyne tackles a challenging non-conference schedule in the first half of the season.

Le Moyne will tip off against SMU of the ACC with the Mustangs and Dolphins meeting for the first time. SMU is coming off two exhibition game wins: an 83-60 victory over West Texas A&M, and a 143-41 pounding of UNT Dallas. The Dolphins will then face defending Big 12 regular-season champions TCU. The Horned Frogs made it to the Elite Eight during March Madness and will host Le Moyne for their second game of the season, the first matchup between the teams.

After the trip to Texas, the Dolphins will host SUNY Geneseo for their home opener on Nov. 10 before going back on the road for games against UCF (Nov. 13) and Miami (Nov. 16). Non-conference opponents also include future Metro conference foes in Niagara (Nov. 21) and Manhattan (Dec. 2) as Le Moyne will join the league in the 2027-28 campaign.

"We do have some of those trips, but there are also a lot of schools that give us opportunities to play local, like-minded, future conference opponents. That'll give us an opportunity to play against teams that look a little more like what we'll see in the league and help us prepare," said DiPillo, talking about the balance this year's schedule has compared to previous campaigns.

The coach highlighted two other non-conference matchups that will become "remember when" moments for his team as they host Kentucky and Syracuse on Dec. 13 and 16.

"To have our kids play in those environments that are in our gym, I think is something they'll always remember, and I couldn't be more excited to give them that opportunity," said DiPillo regarding the matchups.

League play begins after the New Year with a Jan. 2 game against Mercyhurst, which finished second in the NEC Preseason Poll. Le Moyne will finish the season at the Lakers on Mar. 4. The Dolphins will travel to projected No. 3 Stonehill on Jan. 9 and host the Skyhawks on Feb. 13. Defending conference champions FDU will come to Ted Grant Court on Jan. 14 and host the Dolphins on Feb. 27.

Even with the level of competition, DiPillo has complete confidence in his team to bring home the title in 2027.

"Every team talks about wanting to win the championship, but I think with this group it's a realistic possibility for us, with what we have returning and what we have coming in, the culture that we've built, the player retention, the things we're doing here with this program. We have everything we need right in front of us. In order to do that, we have to stay committed to the process of getting a little bit better every day. If we can get and stay healthy, I like our chances. We have the group led by the staff to get where we need to go. It's going to be a fun journey, a fun ride, and we have an amazing group of young women in our locker room we're excited to do it with."

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