Le Moyne (7-18, 5-7 NEC) at Chicago State (8-17, 7-5 NEC)
Info: Saturday, Feb. 14 | 2:00 P.M. ET / 1:00 P.M. CT | Chicago, Ill. | Jones Convocation Center
Watch: NEC Front Row
Listen: WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM
Live Stats: https://www.gocsucougars.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Chicago State's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Chicago, Ill. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team is traveling to Chicago State for the second of two regular-season NEC matchups of the season against the Cougars at 2:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 14. The game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row and WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM from the Jones Convocation Center.

Season Summary:
The Dolphins have won back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 10 and sit with a 7-18 record overall and a 5-7 mark in conference play this season, placing them tied with New Haven for sixth in the NEC.

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.

Since NEC play began in early January, the Dolphins have gone 5-7 with wins coming at home against Saint Francis (73-69) and Wagner (62-49) and also on the road against New Haven (48-40), CCSU (65-61), and Saint Francis (62-50) in their most recent game.

Stat Leaders:
Junior forward Ashley Buragas leads the team as their sole double-digit scorer with 12.0 points per game through 25 starts, just ahead of senior guard Sierra Linnin and sophomore guard Eli Clark who are averaging 9.6 and 8.6 points per game, respectively.

Buragas is shooting a team-high 120-235 (.511) from the field and also leads the 'Phins with 6.7 rebounds per game and blocks with eight. She is second in steals with 20, and ranks third in both assists with 51 and in minutes played per game with 26.1 this season.

Linnin leads the Dolphins with 54 made three-pointers while being the only other Dolphin to get the starting nod in all 25 games along with Buragas. She is shooting 33-36 (.917) from the line, and is second on the team with 28.8 minutes on the hardwood per game.

E. Clark leads the squad in minutes played per game (30.0) and total assists (54), and is third in field goals made with 59 through 19 games started this season. 

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through 12 conference games, Buragas sits fourth in the NEC in scoring with 15.4 points per game while Linnin ranks tied for 17th with 11.1 in the same category.

Buragas sits second in the league in field-goal percentage (.514), third in rebounds per game (7.7), seventh in free-throw rate on 55 attempts (.782), and tied for 18th in assists (2.1).

Linnin sits tied for fourth in threes made per game with 2.3 and tied for 22nd in minutes played with 29.8 per conference game.

Junior guard Jessica Wangolo ranks tied for eighth in assists (2.9), tied for 14th in steals (1.4), and tied for 21st in rebounds per game (4.7).

E. Clark sits just behind Wangolo in assists with 2.8 per game (tied for 10th), and is tied for 20th in minutes played with 30.0.

Freshman forward Praise Matthews  has registered 0.5 blocks per NEC game, tied for 12th-best in the conference while junior forward Sydney Postell has 0.4 blocks, tying her for 21st. 

Freshman guard Peyton Dincher is tied for 19th in three-pointers made with 1.0 per game this season.

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne traveled to Saint Francis and earned a 62-50 victory in their second meeting of the season on Saturday afternoon. 

Buragas led all players with 23 points including 11-12 shooting from the free-throw line. She also added a team-high eight rebounds and tied with E. Clark and freshman guard Kayden Clark for a team-best three assists in 26 minutes on the court.

Postell also finished with double-digit points, tallying 12 on 5-7 shooting from the field with one three-pointer and one free-throw, as well. She also brought in six rebounds to finish behind Buragas in the start.

Le Moyne shot 19-44 (43.2%) from the field and 20-22 (90.9%) from the line in the win. The Dolphins recorded 30 points in the paint, 14 points off turnovers, and 18 points off the bench against the Red Flash.

Series History:
Chicago State leads Le Moyne, 2-1, in their matchups since the Cougars joined the NEC prior to the 2024-25 season. 

The Dolphins took the opening matchup in Syracuse last January, 77-71 in overtime, before Chicago State earned a 76-60 win over the 'Phins in Illinois in mid-February. Earlier this season, the 'Phins dropped their matchup, 61-55, at Ted Grant Court on Jan. 17. 

In the Cougars' victory on Jan. 17, Buragas set a new career-high for the second straight game and led all players with 23 points. She shot 9-15 from the floor and was 5-6 from the free-throw line while adding five rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes of play.

Linnin also finished in the double-digits for the 'Phins, contributing 16 points on 5-13 shooting with a trio of three-pointers and a 3-4 mark from the charity stripe. She also tied Postell for the team lead in rebounds with eight, as both players set new career-highs in the category.

Wangolo added a team-best six rebounds with one steal against the Cougars.

Le Moyne shot 31.1% from the field and went 13-16 (81.3%) from the line. They added 30 points in the paint with 13 second chance points, as well.

Common Opponents:
Aside from their NEC rivals, the Dolphins and Cougars had one common opponent earlier this season in Pitt. 

The Dolphins traveled to take on the Panthers on Nov. 18 and dropped the matchup, 87-65, 11 days before Chicago State met them in a neutral game and fell, 67-53, during the 2025 Florida Gulf Classic Challenge.

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 two NEC Weekly Awards and nine NEC Prime Performer honors so far this season.

Rookies of the Week:
Kayden Clark (Nov. 10)
Peyton Dincher (Jan. 20)

Prime Performers:
Ashley Buragas (Nov. 10, Dec. 31, Jan. 6, Jan. 20, Jan. 26)
Kayden Clark (Nov. 10)
Eli Clark (Nov. 24)
Sierra Linnin (Jan. 6, Feb. 2)

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 Chicago State:
The Cougars have played to an 8-17 record this season and have gone 7-5 since NEC action began in early January. Head coach Corry Irvin is in her second season leading the program.

The team's NEC victories have come over Stonehill (51-48), Saint Francis (73-64), CCSU (75-69), and New Haven (60-57) at home and at Le Moyne (61-55), Saint Francis (70-61), and Mercyhurst (68-64) on the road.

In their most recent game against New Haven on Saturday, sophomore guard Keona McGee and sophomore guard Marisa Gant led the team in scoring with 19 and 12 points, respectively.

Senior guard Tania Allen recorded a team-best five rebounds as Sisco tied junior forward Kace Urlacher with a Cougar-leading three assists in the loss. McGee also led the team with seven rebounds while three different Cougars registered three assists in the win.

Through 10 games played, sophomore guard Aiyanna Culver leads the team with 12.8 points per game but has not seen action since mid-December. Beyond Culver, McGee has averaged 11.0 points while being the only player to start in all 25 team games this season. 

Sophomore center Kayla Mount leads the squad with 4.0 rebounds per game and a .500 field goal rate while McGee has added a team-high 45 assists.

Chicago State returns nine players from their 2024-25 team that went 7-26 overall and fell in the semifinal round of the NEC Tournament against #1 FDU. They are joined by two transfers, junior guard Chloe Sisco and redshirt sophomore guard Brianna Hill, and four freshman newcomers this season.

The Cougars were voted to finish third in the NEC's Preseason Coaches Poll, just ahead of the Dolphins, after going 6-10 in conference play a season ago while Culver was selected to the preseason All-NEC Team.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will return home for a matchup with the CCSU Blue Devils at Ted Grant Court on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6:00 p.m.