Syracuse, NY – The Le Moyne College women’s basketball team returned home to Ted Grant Court to host the Chicago State Cougars in NEC action on Saturday afternoon.
The Dolphins lost the matinee game 61-55 and are now 5-14 overall and 3-3 in conference play this season.
Junior forward Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, NY / John Jay / Mineral Area College) set a career high and led the way with 23 points in the loss. In 31 minutes of action, she shot 9-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line while adding five rebounds and two assists.
Senior guard Sierra Linnin (Valley Cottage, NY / Albertus Magnus) also finished in double figures for the Dolphins, contributing 16 points on 5-13 shooting with three 3-pointers and a 3-4 mark from the charity stripe. She also tied junior forward Sydney Postell (Churchville, NY / Churchville-Chili) for the team lead in rebounds with eight as both players set new career highs in that category.
Junior guard Jessica Wangolo (Ottawa, ON / Capital Courts Academy / Buffalo) added a team-best six rebounds with one steal against the Cougars.
Le Moyne shot 31.1% from the field and went 13-of-16 (81.3%) from the line. The team also added 30 points in the paint with 13 second-chance points.
Four different Chicago State players scored in double figures as Brianna Hill (12), Keona McGee (11), Kyara Champagne (11) and Tania Allen (nine) led the charge offensively. Allen and McGee also finished with double-digit rebounds, totaling 11 and 10, respectively.
Both offenses came out swinging, with Buragas scoring six of the Dolphins’ first seven points in the opening four minutes of the first quarter. The teams then went through a nearly four-minute dry spell before freshman Peyton Dincher (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore) drove to the line and made a free throw to put Le Moyne up 10-8.
Layups by senior guard Michelina Lombardi (Wyantskill, N.Y. / Averill Park) and freshman forward Rachel Lynch (Cork, Ireland / Putnam Science Academy (Conn.)) gave the Dolphins a 14-10 lead heading into the second frame.
After going up 18-10, Le Moyne allowed nine of the next 10 points and saw its lead dwindle to one midway through the second quarter. The Cougars took a 21-20 lead on a Champagne layup with 2:31 left in the half and took a five-point lead into the break.
Chicago State extended its lead to eight points in the opening minutes of the third quarter, and a quick layup by McGee gave the team a 35-26 lead with 5:42 left. The Cougars led by as many as 13 in the final minutes of the frame before five late points from Linnin slowed their lead and gave the visitors a 48-38 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins cut the deficit to 50-44 in the first two minutes of the final frame on buckets by Buragas and freshman guard Kayden Clark before their offense went cold for nearly three minutes with 6:25 remaining.
Le Moyne bounced back with nine consecutive points from Buragas, Linnin and Wangol to make it 56-55 with 21 seconds left.
After McGee connected on one of two free throws late, the Dolphins had an opportunity to score in the final timeout with 17 seconds to play. However, a missed layup sealed the deal as Chicago State went to the line twice in the final seconds to complete their victory.
The Dolphins will travel to Wagner College on Thursday to take on the Seahawks at 7 p.m.
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