Le Moyne (8-18, 6-7 NEC) vs CCSU (0-24, 0-13 NEC)
Info: Thursday, Feb. 19 | 6:00 P.M. | Syracuse, N.Y. | Ted Grant Court at the Donald J. Savage '51 Basketball Arena
Watch: NEC Front Row
Listen: WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
CCSU's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team will host CCSU for their second meeting of the regular-season at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19. The game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row and WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM from Ted Grant Court at the Donald J. Savage '51 Basketball Arena.

Season Summary:
The Dolphins have won three straight games for the first time this season and possess an 8-18 record overall with a 6-7 mark in conference action this season, placing them tied sixth in the NEC and having already clinched a conference tournament berth.

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 6-7 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), Saint Francis (62-50), and Chicago State (80-76) in their most recent game.

Stat Leaders:
Junior forward Ashley Buragas leads the team as their sole double-digit scorer with 12.7 points per game through 26 starts, just ahead of senior guard Sierra Linnin and sophomore guard Eli Clark who are averaging 9.9 and 8.7 points per game, respectively.

Buragas is shooting a team-high 131-252 (.520) from the field and also leads the 'Phins with 6.8 rebounds per game and in blocks with eight. She is third in steals with 20, assists with 55, and minutes played per game with 26.5 this season.

Linnin leads the Dolphins with 58 made three-pointers while being the only other Dolphin to get the starting nod in all 26 games along with Buragas. She is shooting 37-40 (.925) 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 (30.1) and total assists (59), and is third in field goals made with 60 through 20 games started this season. 

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through 13 conference games, Buragas sits third in the NEC in scoring with 16.5 points per game while Linnin ranks tied for 16th with 11.6 in the same category.

Buragas sits atop the league in field-goal percentage (.529), third in rebounds per game (7.7), sixth in free-throw rate on 65 attempts (.785), and tied for 17th in assists (2.2).

Linnin sits fifth in threes made per game with 2.4 and tied for 23rd in minutes played with 29.9 per conference game.

Junior guard Jessica Wangolo ranks eighth in assists (3.0), tied for 16th in steals (1.4), and 22nd in rebounds per game (4.7).

E. Clark sits third in the NEC in free-throw rate on 27 attempts (.852), just behind Wangolo in assists with 2.9 per game (ninth), and is 20th in minutes played with 30.4.

Freshman forward Praise Matthews  has registered 0.5 blocks per NEC game, tied for 10th-best in the conference while junior forward Sydney Postell has 0.3 blocks, placing her 25th. 

Freshman guard Peyton Dincher ranks 19th in three-pointers made with 1.1 per game this season.

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne traveled to Chicago State and came out on top against the Cougars, 80-76, on Saturday afternoon, clinching an NEC Tournament berth.

Buragas set a new career-high and led all players with 30 points, becoming the first Dolphin to reach that mark in a single game since Lytoya Baker did it against Adelphi on Feb. 1, 2023. Buragas shot 11-17 from the field and went 8-10 from the free-throw line in the win, reaching the 1,000-points scored mark in her collegiate career in the process. She also added a team-best eight rebounds and tied for the team-lead in assists with four in 35 minutes on the court.

Linnin added 18 points for Le Moyne, shooting 5-11 overall and 4-8 from beyond the arc with a perfect 4-4 day from the line. She trailed Buragas with six rebounds and registered two steals and one assist.

E. Clark rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Dolphins, totaling 10 points on 1-6 shooting from the field and a stellar 8-8 rate from the charity stripe. E. Clark and Wangolo tied Linnin with four assists apiece while Wangolo dropped seven points and brought in five boards, as well. 

Le Moyne shot 24-49 (49.0%) from the field and 25-28 (89.3%) from the line in the win. The Dolphins recorded 34 points in the paint, 18 points off turnovers, 15 second chance points, and 15 points off the bench against the Cougars.

Series History:
Le Moyne currently holds a 4-1 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, 75-64, one month later. 

Earlier this season, on Jan. 10, the Dolphins traveled New Britain, Conn. and earned a 65-61 victory over the Blue Devils

Dincher led the way for the Dolphins with a career-high 15 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Dincher shot a career-best 5-8 (62.5%) from the field with one three-pointer and a perfect 4-4 mark from the line. She added five rebounds and one assist, as well.

Buragas tallied her fourth double-double of the season after contributing 14 points on 6-13 (46.2%) shooting from the field and a team-high 13 rebounds. 

E. Clark, Wangolo, and Postell added nine, eight, and seven points, respectively in the win. Wangolo was impactful on the boards, as well, tying her career-high in rebounds with seven. 

Le Moyne shot 38.1% (24-63) from the field and 81.3% (13-16) from the line with 40 of their points coming in the paint and 27 coming off the bench.

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 two NEC Weekly Awards and 12 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. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 9, Feb. 16)
Sierra Linnin (Jan. 6, Feb. 2, Feb. 16)
Kayden Clark (Nov. 10)
Eli Clark (Nov. 24)

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 gone winless through the first 24 games of the 2025-26 season and enter Thursday's matchup with an 0-24 record overall and 0-13 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.

In their latest loss at home to FDU on Saturday, freshman forward Mathilda Toure led the team with 13 points off the bench while senior forward Lucia Noin also finished in the double digits with 12 points scored in the start. Senior guard Cierra Person led the squad with nine rebounds as four players each dished out one assist. 

Through 24 games played, Noin leads the team in scoring with 12.1 points per game, just ahead of freshman forward Kiyah Lewis (11.8) who has played in 22 team games.

Noin brings in a team-best 5.5 rebounds and dishes out a team-leading 2.5 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 remain at home for a matchup with Stonehill at Ted Grant Court on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 3:00 p.m.