Le Moyne (5-18, 3-7 NEC) vs Wagner (10-11, 6-4 NEC)
Info: Thursday, Feb. 5 | 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/
Wagner's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team is set to host Wagner in an NEC matchup at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5. 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 dropped their past six games and possess a 5-18 record overall and a 3-7 mark in conference action this season, placing them eighth 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 3-7 with wins coming at home against Saint Francis (73-69) and on the road against New Haven (48-40) and CCSU (65-61).

Stat Leaders:
Junior forward Ashley Buragas leads the team as their sole double-digit scorer with 11.5 points per game through 23 starts, just ahead of senior guard Sierra Linnin and sophomore guard Eli Clark who are averaging 9.6 and 9.0 points per game, respectively.

Buragas is shooting a team-high 110-215 (.512) from the field and leads the 'Phins with 6.6 rebounds per game while sitting tied for first in blocks with seven (along with freshman guard Kayden Cark), third in steals with 17, third in assists with 45, and third in minutes played per game with 25.9 this season.

Linnin leads the Dolphins with 50 made three-pointers while being the only other Dolphin to get the starting nod in all 23 games along with Buragas. She is shooting 27-30 (.900) from the line, and is second on the team with 28.6 minutes on the hardwood per game.

Heading into Thursday's matchup, Linnin sits just eight points away from becoming the 18th player in program history to reach the 1,000-points scored milestone.

E. Clark leads the squad in minutes played per game (30.5), is tied for first in assists (52; Wangolo), and is third in field goals made with 57 through 19 games started this season. 

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through 10 conference games, Buragas sits fifth in the NEC in scoring with 14.9 points per game while Linnin ranks tied for 16th with 11.5 in the same category.

Buragas sits third in the league in rebounds per game (7.6) and field-goal percentage (.517), eighth in free-throw rate on 37 attempts (.730), and tied for 21st in assists (1.9).

Linnin sits tied for fourth in threes made per game with 2.3 and 19th in minutes played with 29.7 per conference game played.

Wangolo ranks sixth in assists (3.4), seventh in assist to turnover ratio (1.0), and tied for 13th in steals (1.4).

Freshman forward Praise Matthews has registered 0.4 blocks per NEC game, tied for 16th-best in the conference.

K. Clark and fellow freshman guard Peyton Dincher are both tied for 18th in three-pointers made with 1.0 per game each.

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne traveled to Stonehill and faced a 79-54 defeat at the hands of the Skyhawks on Saturday afternoon. 

Buragas led the team in scoring with 16 points on 7-11 shooting from the field and a 2-2 mark from the line. Her seven rebounds also ranked second on the team, behind only junior forward Sydney Postell who had nine. Postell also recorded a team-high three assists in the loss.

K. Clark also finished with double-digit points, registering 13 on 5-12 shooting overall, a pair of threes, and one free throw. She added two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a team-leading 35 minutes on the hardwood.

Linnin posted nine points, two rebounds, a pair of assists, and a team-high three steals in 34 minutes of play.

Le Moyne struggled offensively against Stonehill, shooting 20-63 (31.7%) overall with 30 of their points coming in the paint.

Series History:
Le Moyne holds a 3-2 record over Wagner since the Dolphins began their transition to NCAA Division I and joined the NEC prior to the 2023-24 season. 

In their most recent matchup at Wagner on Jan. 22, the Seahawks came out on top, 59-45.

Buragas put up a team-high 13 points in her 11th double-digit scoring effort of the season. She shot 6-17 from the field with seven rebounds, one assist, and one block in 32 minutes on the hardwood.

Postell added another 11 points in her third straight start for the 'Phins, shooting 50% overall while going 5-6 from the line. 

Wangolo led the team with a career-high 10 rebounds while tallying a pair of assists and two steals in 33 minutes of play– also the most of her career. E. Clark dished out a team-best three assists in the loss. 

Le Moyne shot 16-55 (29.1%) from the field with a 11-12 (91.7%) mark from the free-throw line. They recorded 20 of their 45 points in the paint.

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

The Dolphins earned their first win of the season, 82-79, in overtime at Lafayette on Nov. 9, 11 days before Wagner hosted the Leopards and fell, 56-53.

Le Moyne then hosted Cornell at Ted Grant Court on Nov. 22 and dropped the matchup, 52-51, in overtime while Wagner came away with a 67-54 win over the Big Red at home on Nov. 30.

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 the Seahawks:
Wagner has played to a 10-11 record overall with a 6-4 mark in NEC action this season and sit fourth in the conference standings. The 2025-26 season marks head coach Terrell Coburn's fifth at the helm of the women's basketball program.

The Seahawks have earned their six conference wins over Chicago State (62-51), Stonehill (62-59), New Haven (50-45), Le Moyne (59-45), LIU (59-54), and CCSU (63-44).

In their most recent outing, a 52-48 road loss at FDU on Saturday, senior guard Irene Fernandez de Caleya and junior center Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor tied for the team-high with 10 points each. They also finished first and second on the team with seven and six rebounds, respectively. Senior guard Maria Doreste added a team-leading three assists in the loss.

Through 21 games played, Doyinsola Modesayor leads the team with 10.7 points on 45.9% shooting from the field while also adding a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game. Fernandez de Caleya sits just behind her in both categories through 18 games with 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds. Caleya leads with 43 assists while sophomore guard Keana Foz has 42 through the same number of games.

Wagner returns 10 players from their 2024-25 team that went 8-21 overall and fell in the quarterfinal round of the NEC Tournament against #2 Stonehill. They are joined by three transfers and one freshman newcomer, Alivia Landy, this season.

The Seahawks were voted to finish seventh in the NEC's Preseason Coaches Poll after going 5-11 in conference play a season ago.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will travel to Saint Francis for a 2:00 p.m. showdown in Loretto, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 7.