Le Moyne (10-19, 8-8 NEC) vs New Haven (7-20, 5-11 NEC)
Info: Saturday, Feb. 28 | 1:00 P.M. | Syracuse, N.Y. | Ted Grant Court at the Donald J. Savage '51 Basketball Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sidearmstats/wbball/
New Haven's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team will host New Haven in their regular-season home finale against the Chargers as they celebrate Senior Day at 1:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ / YES Network and WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM from Ted Grant Court at the Donald J. Savage '51 Basketball Arena.

Season Summary:
The Dolphins hold a 10-19 record overall with an 8-8 mark in conference action this season, placing them in fifth in the NEC 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 8-8 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 12.8 points per game through 29 starts, ahead of senior guard Sierra Linnin and sophomore guard Eli Clark who are averaging 9.6 and 8.2 points per game, respectively.

Buragas is shooting a team-high 148-283 (.523) from the field and also leads the 'Phins with 6.8 rebounds per game and total blocks with 10. She is second in assists with 61, third in minutes played per game with 26.3, and fourth in steals with 21 this season.

Linnin leads the Dolphins with 62 made three-pointers while being the only other Dolphin to get the starting nod in all 29 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 (30.0) and total assists (69), and is third in field goals made with 65 through 23 games played this season. 

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through 16 conference games, Buragas sits fourth in the NEC in scoring with 16.0 points per game while Linnin ranks 17th with 10.8 in the same category.

Buragas sits atop the league in field-goal percentage (.532), third in rebounds per game (7.6), seventh in free-throw rate on 73 attempts (.795), and 18th in assists (2.2).

Buragas is also tied with freshman forward Praise Matthews for 15th in blocks per conference game with 0.4.

Linnin sits tied for fifth in threes made per game with 2.2 and tied for 24th in minutes played with 29.3 per conference game.

Junior guard Jessica Wangolo ranks tied for 13th in assists (2.5), tied for 20th in steals (1.2), and 23rd in rebounds per game (4.5).

E. Clark sits fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.1), tied for seventh in assists with 3.0 per game and 22nd in minutes with 30.2 played per contest.

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

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne traveled to FDU on Thursday night and fell, 66-38, against the Knights who remain undefeated in NEC action on the season.

Dincher and Buragas tied for the team lead in points with eight apiece in the loss. Dincher shot 2-4 overall with a pair of threes and a 2-2 rate from the free-throw line while Buragas shot 3-9 from the field and the same mark from the charity stripe.

E. Clark and Linnin followed with six and five points each, respectively. 

Buragas and junior forward Sydney Postell tied to lead the 'Phins with four rebounds each while Buragas dishes out a team-best three assists.

Le Moyne shot 14-48 (29.2%) from the field, 5-25 (20.0%) from three-point range, and 5-5 from the line against the Knights. The Dolphins recorded 14 points in the paint and 14 points off the bench on Thursday.

Series History:
Le Moyne sits with a 24-16 overall series record against New Haven with their first meeting coming during the 1992-93 season. 

The two programs met nine times as co-members of the New England Collegiate Conference from '92-'96 until the Dolphins left the conference prior to the 1996-97 season. They met on 29 more occasions as members of the NE10 once New Haven joined ahead of the 2008-09 campaign. 

Their contests included two conference playoff matchups (1995, 2019) and one non-conference game during the 2001-02 season.

Le Moyne currently holds a six-game winning streak over the Chargers dating back to Feb. 2020 and are 12-2 over the series' last 14 games since Nov. 2016. 

In their most recent meeting on Jan. 8 earlier this season, their first as NEC foes, the Dolphins came away with a 48-40 victory over the Chargers. 

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.

E. 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.

Buragas and 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) mark at the line also ranked higher than the Chargers. 

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

Le Moyne opened the season in Queens on Nov. 3 against the Red Storm and fell, 68-53, before the Johnnies traveled to New Haven and came out on top, 67-47, on Dec. 17.

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. 

Checking on the Chargers:
New Haven has played to a 7-20 overall record and a 5-11 mark in NEC contests in their first season in the conference. They are currently on a six-game losing skid in Head coach Debbie Buff's seventh season as leader of the Chargers' program.

The Chargers' five conference wins have come at home against Stonehill (66-61), CCSU (70-51), Chicago State (63-56), and Saint Francis (57-56) with their lone road NEC victory coming at Saint Francis (61-60) in late January.

In their most recent matchup at home against Wagner on Thursday night, the Seahawks came away with a narrow 64-62 win over New Haven.

Freshman guard Jasmine McKay led the Chargers with 17 points on 6-10 shooting overall and a 3-5 mark from deep. Senior forward Aniya McDonald-Perry totaled 14 points on 5-11 shooting from the field and a 4-5 rate from the line. 

McDonald-Perry added 17 rebounds to lead all players and secure the double-double while tying senior guard/forward Lindsay Hogan and sophomore forward Addisen Sulikowski with three assists to lead the squad, as well.

Through 27 games played, McDonald-Perry leads the team with 11.7 points per game, just ahead of Hogan who sits with 11.6.

The pair also rank in that order for first and second on the team in rebounds with 9.0 and 5.4 per game, respectively. They also lead in assists per game as Hogan has 2.4 and McDonald-Perry sits at 2.3 this season.

New Haven returns eight players from their 2024-25 season where they went 17-11 overall and fell in the opening round of the NE10 Tournament against Assumption. They are joined by one transfer, Sulikowski, and eight freshman newcomers this season.

The Chargers were voted to finish ninth in the NEC's Preseason Coaches Poll after announcing their move to the conference and NCAA Division I prior to the 2025-26 season.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will close out the 2025-26 regular season on the road at Mercyhurst at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Mar. 5.