Le Moyne (6-18, 4-7 NEC) at Saint Francis (2-20, 2-9 NEC)
Info: Saturday, Feb. 7 | 2:00 P.M. | Loretto, Pa | DeGol Arena
Watch: NEC Front Row
Listen: WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM
Live Stats: https://sfuathletics.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
SFU's Links: Schedule | Roster | News

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team is heading to Saint Francis for their second NEC matchup of the season at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7. The game will be broadcast on NEC Front Row and WSIV 106.3 FM / 1540 AM from DeGol Arena.

Season Summary:
The Dolphins snapped a six-game winless skid in their latest outing and possess a 6-18 record overall and a 4-7 mark in conference action this season, placing them tied with Stonehill for seventh 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 4-7 with wins coming at home against Saint Francis (73-69) and in their most recent matchup against Wagner (on Thursday night and also 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 43 starts, just ahead of senior guard Sierra Linnin and sophomore guard Eli Clark who are averaging 9.8 and 8.7 points per game, respectively.

Buragas is shooting a team-high 114-225 (.507) from the field and also leads the 'Phins with 6.7 rebounds per game while sitting tied for first in blocks with seven (along with freshman guard Kayden Cark), tied for second in steals with 19 (with Linnin), third in assists with 48, and third in minutes played per game with 26.1 this season.

Linnin leads the Dolphins with 53 made three-pointers while being the only other Dolphin to get the starting nod in all 24 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 (30.2), is second in assists (52; Wangolo), and is third in field goals made with 57 through 19 games started this season. 

NEC Stat Rankings:
Through 11 conference games, Buragas sits fifth in the NEC in scoring with 14.7 points per game while Linnin ranks 15th with 11.8 in the same category.

Buragas sits second in the league in field-goal percentage (.491), third in rebounds per game (7.6), seventh in free-throw rate on 43 attempts (.744), and tied for 20th in assists (2.0).

Linnin sits tied for fourth in threes made per game with 2.4 and 19th in minutes played with 29.9 per conference game played.

Wangolo ranks seventh in assists (3.2), tied for seventh in assist to turnover ratio (1.0), and tied for eighth in steals (1.6).

Junior forward Sydney Postell has registered 0.4 blocks per NEC game, tied for 20th-best in the conference.

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

Last Time Out:
Le Moyne hosted Wagner and came away with a 62-49 victory at Ted Grant Court on Thursday night.

Linnin collected her 1,000th career point scored and became the 18th player in program history to reach that mark en route to leading the team with 15 points against Wagner. She shot 37.5% from the field with a trio of three-pointers and a perfect 6-6 mark from the free-throw line. She added six rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes on the hardwood.

Buragas also finished in the double-digits in points, tallying 13 on 4-10 shooting overall and adding five free throws. She led the team by dishing out three assists and tied Postell with a team-high eight rebounds.

Wangolo set a new career-high and tied freshman guard Kayden Clark with nine points in the win. Dincher added another eight points on a pair of threes and two shots from the charity stripe, as well. 

Le Moyne shot 16-42 (38.1%) from the field and 6-15 (40.0%) from deep with an .889 rate from the line. The Dolphins recorded 20 points in the paint, 16 points off turnovers, and 16 points off fastbreaks in the win.

Series History:
Le Moyne and Saint Francis are currently tied 3-3 in their programs' series history dating back to the 2023-24 season, the Dolphins' first in the NEC and during their transition to NCAA Division I. 

The two squads split their matchups during the 2023-24 season, each earning a win at home before the Red Flash swept the regular season series last year. 

In their most recent matchup in this season's NEC-opener at Ted Grant Court on Jan. 2, Le Moyne earned a hard-fought 73-69 victory over the Red Flash.

Four different Dolphins recorded double-digit points including Buragas, who led Le Moyne with 16 points on 5-9 (55.5%) shooting from the field and a 6-8 (75.0%) rate from the line. She also added five rebounds and one assist in 26 minutes.

K. Clark followed behind Buragas with 13 points while going 3-4 (75.0%) from three-point range, just ahead of E. Clark who added 12 points while leading the team in both rebounds (six) and assists (six). Both Clarks contributed a pair of steals in the victory, as well. 

Linnin  rounded out the double-digit scorers for Le Moyne, adding 11 points on four buckets including a trio of threes, with a pair of rebounds and one steal.

Wangolo was a force all around the court, adding seven points along with five rebounds, four assists, and one steal in the win.  

Le Moyne connected on 45.5% (25-55) of their shots from the field while adding 30 points in the paint, 24 bench points, and a season-high 18 points off turnovers.

Common Opponents:
Aside from their NEC rivals, the Dolphins and Red Flash both took on Lafayette and Pitt earlier this season.

Le Moyne earned their first win of the season at Lafayette, 82-79 in OT, on Nov. 9 while Saint Francis fell, 69-55, at home against the Leopards one week later.

The Dolphins then came up short at Pitt, 87-65, on Nov. 18, exactly one month before SFU dropped their matchup with the Panthers, 98-46, also on the road. 

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. 

Red Flash Rundown:
SFU currently sits with a 2-20 overall record on the season and a 2-9 mark in NEC play since the beginning of January. The Red Flash are led by first-year head coach Chynna Bozeman.

In their most recent matchup, Saint Francis hosted Mercyhurst and fell, 79-59, on Thursday night. Graduate forward Shelby Ricks led the team with 18 points on 5-10 shooting from the field, a pair of threes, and a 6-6 rate from the line. She also led the Red Flash with six rebounds. Sophomore guard Gemma Walker added 14 points on 5-9 shooting overall and a pair of threes in the start.

Through 22 team games, Ricks leads the Red Flash in scoring with 11.7 points per game just ahead of graduate point guard Aleah James who also sits in the double-digits with 11.0. Ricks' 6.5 rebounds per contest also lead the team this season while freshman guard Makyiah Ward has dished out a team-high 61 assists in 21 games played this season. 

Saint Francis returns just two players from their 2024-25 season that saw the Red Flash go 11-19 overall, earn the #4 seed in the NEC Tournament, and fall to Le Moyne, 62-51, in the quarterfinal round. They are joined by nine transfers and one freshman newcomer (Ward) this season.

The Red Flash were voted to finish 10th in the NEC's Preseason Coaches Poll after going 9-7 in conference play a season ago.

What's Next:
Le Moyne will travel to Chicago State for a 2:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. CT tip-off against the Cougars on Saturday, Feb. 14.