The Le Moyne College women’s basketball team earned a gutsy overtime victory at Lafayette College last Sunday. After falling to St. John’s University in their season opener, the Dolphins bounced back to secure their first win of the 2025-26 season.

It also represented a non-conference win over a Division I opponent from the Patriot League, in only the third season of D-I competition for Le Moyne.

“Needless to say, getting a road win against a Patriot League opponent was great for a number of reasons,” coach Nick DiPillo wrote in an email to The Dolphin. “First and foremost, coming home with a win early in the season, in general, serves as confirmation for our locker room that what we are doing works and when we stay together through this building process, great things will happen.

“As far as them being in the Patriot League, I think when you look at Le Moyne and Lafayette, there are a good amount of similarities – campus sizes are similar, both are academically driven institutions and there’s a commitment to enhancing the experience of the entire student-athlete,” DiPillo wrote.

“Ultimately, these are the types of schools we want to align ourselves with as we grow in this Division I space – so to go on the road and get a tough win absolutely adds a little more significance than just beating anyone, without question.”

The next matchup for the Dolphins is even tougher: They’re on the road today in Texas against No. 7 Baylor, the three-time national champions who play in the new 7,000-seat Foster Pavilion.

Against Lafayette, Le Moyne took an early lead on a three-pointer from senior Sierra Linnin at the 4:33 mark in the first period. The Dolphins commanded the rest of the quarter, and a put back layup by freshman Ava Johnson gave them a 7-point lead at the close of the first.

The Dolphins carried their energy into the second period. A layup by freshman Kayden Clark gave Le Moyne a game-high 10-point lead with 2:20 left in the first half. The Leopards responded with eight straight points by freshman Haylie Adamski, but the Dolphins maintained their composure and carried a solid 39-32 advantage into the second half.

Le Moyne did not come out with the same energy in the second half as they did the first.  Lafayette junior Tasha Chudy banked in a shot off the glass with 8:23 remaining in the quarter.  This sparked a 13-0 run by the Leopards, capped off by a three-pointer by junior Rosie Scognamiglio with 4:33 remaining in the quarter.

Le Moyne struggled to find a rhythm on both ends of the floor throughout the period. They were outscored 26–14 in the third, entering the fourth period with a 5-point deficit.

The Dolphins battled back in the fourth, and were able to get within one point on a free throw by junior Ashley Buragas with just under the halfway point of the quarter.

With the Dolphins down 69-67 and 14 seconds remaining on the game clock, sophomore Eli Clark was fouled on a two-point attempt. Clark knocked down both clutch free-throws to tie the game. Lafayette was unable to get a shot off in the final possession of regulation, sending the contest into overtime.

A three-pointer by freshman Peyton Dincher gave Le Moyne a 74-71 advantage with 3:29 remaining in the overtime period. This was their first lead since the 6:02 mark of the third quarter.

With nine seconds remaining in the game and the Dolphins up 80-77, Eli Clark was fouled again, this time with a chance to ice the game. She swished both free-throws, and despite a late layup by Leopards sophomore Talia Zurinskas, the Dolphins held on to complete the comeback, 82-79.

Buragas scored 20 points and had 22 rebounds – the second-highest one game total in school history – for Le Moyne. Eli Clark added 20 points while Kayden Clark had 17.

“It wasn’t as much about adjustments for us as it was getting back to the things that got us a lead at the half and allowed us to end up winning the game,” DiPillo said regarding what helped the Dolphins rally following the subpar third quarter performance.

“During that stretch, our energy was a little bit flat and we didn’t do a great job defensively or taking care of the basketball…Fortunately for our players, they did a great job of settling back in, recognizing what we needed to do to be successful and pulling out the win. It was a total team effort for us.”

This will be the highest ranked opponent that Le Moyne has faced during DiPillo’s tenure leading the program. He spoke on how a resilient win like this helps prepare the team for future opponents:

“I think the overtime win just shows our team that it’s always going to be about us and how we perform. Obviously when you play a top-10 opponent, your margin for error is super small, but there’s so much that’s directly in our control – how hard we play, taking care of the ball, executing offensively – all of those things are done by us, not the opponent… Moving forward, if we just stay present and focus on the play that’s in front of us, I like our chances to compete with anyone.”

Le Moyne will take on Baylor at 3:00 p.m today. The contest will be available to stream on ESPN+.