Le Moyne (10-18, 8-7 NEC) at FDU (24-4, 15-0 NEC)
Info: Thursday, Feb. 26 | 7:00 P.M. | Teaneck, N.J. | Bogota Savings Bank Center
Watch: NEC Front Row
Listen: WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM
Live Stats: https://fduknights.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
FDU's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Teaneck, N.J. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team will head to FDU for a meeting with the Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night. The game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row and WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM from Bogota Savings Bank Center.

Season Summary:
The Dolphins are on a season-best five-game winning streak and possess a 10-18 record overall with an 8-7 mark in conference action this season, placing them in a tie for fourth in the NEC with Wagner 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 8-7 with wins coming at home against Saint Francis (73-69), Wagner (62-49), CCSU (65-46), and Stonehill (53-49) and also on the road against New Haven (48-40), CCSU (65-61), Saint Francis (62-50), and Chicago State (80-76).

Stat Leaders:
Junior forward Ashley Buragas leads the team as their sole double-digit scorer with 13.0 points per game through 28 starts, ahead of senior guard Sierra Linnin and sophomore guard Eli Clark who are averaging 9.8 and 8.3 points per game, respectively.

Buragas is shooting a team-high 145-274 (.529) from the field and also leads the 'Phins with 6.9 rebounds per game and total blocks with nine. She is tied for third in steals with 21 (freshman guard Kayden Clark) and third in both assists with 58 and minutes played per game with 26.4 this season.

Linnin leads the Dolphins with 61 made three-pointers while being the only other Dolphin to get the starting nod in all 28 games along with Buragas. She is shooting 42-46 (.913) from the line and is second on the team with 28.6 minutes on the hardwood per game.

E. Clark leads the squad in minutes played per game (29.7) and total assists (67), and is third in field goals made with 63 through 24 games played this season. 

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through 15 conference games, Buragas sits third in the NEC in scoring with 16.5 points per game while Linnin ranks 17th with 11.1 in the same category.

Buragas sits atop the league in field-goal percentage (.542), third in rebounds per game (7.8), seventh in free-throw rate on 71 attempts (.789), and tied for 19th in assists (2.1).

Linnin sits tied for fifth in threes made per game with 2.3 and tied for 24th in minutes played with 29.3 per conference game.

Junior guard Jessica Wangolo ranks sixth in free-throw rate (.805), tied for 10th in assists (2.7), tied for 16th in steals (1.3), and tied for 22nd in rebounds per game (4.6).

E. Clark sits seventh in assists with 3.1 per game and 23rd in minutes with 29.5 played per contest.

Freshman forward Praise Matthews has registered 0.4 blocks per NEC game, tied for 17th-best in the conference.

Freshman guard Peyton Dincher ranks tied for 16th in three-pointers made with 1.1 per game this season.

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne hosted Stonehill at Ted Grant Court in their second meeting of the season on Saturday afternoon and won their fifth straight game, 53-49.

Buragas led all players with 22 points on 9-14 (64.3%) shooting from the field with a 4-4 mark from the free-throw line. Buragas also brought in a team-high eight rebounds while adding on two assists and one steal in 27 minutes on the hardwood.

Five different Dolphins followed with between five and six points while E. Clark, Wangolo, and Linnin each registered four rebounds in the win. 

E. Clark dished out a team-best four assists and led the squad with a pair of steals, as well.

Le Moyne shot 19-43 (44.2%) from the field, 7-15 (46.7%) from range, and 8-10 (80.0%) from the line against the Skyhawks. The Dolphins recorded 22 points in the paint, 16 points off turnovers, eight second chance points, and 16 points off the bench.

Series History:
Le Moyne and FDU sit tied with a 3-3 series record since the Dolphins began their transition to NCAA Division I and joined the NEC prior to the 2023-24 season. 

The Dolphins took the first three meetings of the series with two wins coming during the 2023-24 regular season and another during the semifinal round of the NEC Tournament.

Le Moyne then dropped both meetings with the Knights during the 2024-25 season before falling at home last month, 56-41, in their first matchup with the Knights this season.

In the game on Jan. 24, Buragas recorded her fifth double-double of the season and fifth consecutive double-digit scoring outing to lead Le Moyne, putting up 13 points and bringing in 15 rebounds along with a team-high four assists against FDU. Her point total marks her 12th time finishing in double digits this year.

Junior forward Sydney Postell added another eight points while dishing out one assist and taking away one steal in the loss.

E. Clark recorded four rebounds and tallied a pair of assists, both second-most on the team.

Le Moyne shot 15-55 (27.3%) from the field with 16 points coming from the paint and 10 off turnovers. They held FDU to a similar shooting rate overall, only allowing 18-56 (32.1%) of shots to find the bottom of the net.

Common Opponents:
Aside from their NEC rivals, the Dolphins and Knights both met Lafayette during their non-conference schedules.

The Dolphins earned their first win of the season, 82-79, in overtime at Lafayette on Nov. 9, a month before FDU hosted the Leopards and came away with a 69-61 win on Dec. 4. 

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 13 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, Feb. 23)
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 the Knights:
FDU has played to a 24-4 overall record and lead the NEC with a perfect 15-0 record since the beginning of January. Head coach Stephanie Gaitley is currently in her third season as the leader of the Knights' program.

The Knights have won six home matchups and nine on the road since conference play began, with their most recent coming at New Haven on Saturday when they came away with a 69-55 victory. 

In their most recent game, sophomore guard Kailee McDonald led all players with 21 points on six three-pointers while graduate guard/forward Madlena Gerke (19) and junior forward Rebecca Osei-Owusu (11) both finished in the double-digits, as well. Gerke added another five three-pointers for the Knights while Osei-Owusu led the team with 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Ava Renninger registered a team-leading 12 assists in the win.

Through 28 games started, Renninger leads all Knights with 12.6 points per game, just ahead of McDonald who sits with 12.0 and Gerke who has 11.6. Osei-Owusu has registered a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game while Renninger has an NEC-best 146 assists, nearly double that of second-place Sofia Wilson of Mercyhurst.

FDU returns 10 players from their 2024-25 team that went 29-4 overall and claimed the NEC title en route to their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They are joined by one transfer, Gerke, and four freshman newcomers this season.

The Knights were voted to finish first in the NEC's Preseason Coaches Poll for the second consecutive season going undefeated, 16-0, in conference play a season ago.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will return to Ted Grant Court for their regular season home finale on ESPN+ at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28.