After missing the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NE10 women’s basketball makes a return to the court! Stonehill and Adelphi were voted atop the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Polls, representing the Northeast and Southwest Divisions, respectively. The Skyhawks are the reigning NE10 champions, as well as the Northeast Divison regular season champions, and coming off a 16-3 conference season in 2019-20. The Panthers were a league-best 17-2 against NE10 opponents, claiming the Southwest Division regular season title.
The NE10 Women’s Basketball Championship is scheduled to begin on February 25 with first round action. The NE10 Championship quarterfinals will be on February 27, with the semifinals on March 3. The championship game will be played on Sunday, March 6.
#1 STONEHILL (NE)
Stonehill, the reigning NE10 champion from the 2019-20 season, will look to make another run for the league title this season under head coach Trisha Brown in her 21st season with the program. The Skyhawks have won 20 or more games in each of the past three seasons – a stretch that has resulted in an NE10 championship (2019-20) and East Region Championship (2017-18).
The 2021-22 season begins for Stonehill with NE10 action on the road at Saint Michael’s on Saturday, November 20. The Skyhawks host Northeast Division rival Bentley in the next game on Tuesday, November 23, as the two perennial basketball powerhouses meet in an early-season game. Stonehill has six NE10 titles in program history, second only to Bentley (20).
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Kayla Raymond (F) – First Team All-Conference in 2019-20; Fifth in scoring among all NE10 players (16.6 points per game).
- Isabella Santoro (G) – Second on the team with 13.0 points per game in the 2019-20 season; Added 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest.
#1 ADELPHI (SW)
Adelphi will head into the 2021-22 season under new leadership, as Sade Jackson – a former Adelphi women’s basketball player – was hired as head coach of the program in May of 2021. The Panthers are coming off a Southwest Division regular season championship and 27-3 overall record in 2019-20, but return just two players from that team.
The season begins with an exhibition game against Division I St. John’s on Wednesday, November 3. The regular season opens at Post on Saturday, November 13, while the NE10 opener is scheduled at home against Saint Rose on Saturday, November 20. In the last seven full seasons, Adelphi has won four Southwest Division titles and two NE10 championships.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Emily Miccile (G) – Fourth on the team in scoring with 10.4 points per game and second in rebounds with 6.7 per contest in 2019-20.
- Emma Cuccurullo (F) – Averaged 4.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 30 game appearances for the Panthers in 2019-20.
#2 BENTLEY (NE)
Bentley will have perhaps the biggest change of any team in the NE10 during the 2021-22 season, as longtime Hall of Fame coach Barbara Stevens will not be on the sidelines. Following her retirement after the 2019-20 season, Stevens’ longtime assistant – C White – took the helm of the historically-successful program. The Falcons will look to continue its success over the past three decades in the post-Stevens era.
The season opens for Bentley with an exhibition game at Division I Providence on Thursday, November 4. The regular season begins with a big NE10 matchup at Saint Anselm on Wednesday, November 17, followed by an equally important game at Stonehill – the reigning NE10 champion – on Tuesday, November 23. The Falcons have won a league-best 20 NE10 titles in program history.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Kari Brekke (G) – Third Team All-Conference in 2019-20; Second on the team in scoring with 12 points per game.
- Ella Thompson (G) – All-Rookie Team in 2019-20; Averaged 9.4 points and 3.4 assists in 27 game appearances for Bentley.
#2 NEW HAVEN (SW)
Coming off a third-place finish in the 2019-20 season, New Haven is ranked second in the Southwest Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll with 76 points and four first-place votes. The Chargers, led by fourth-year head coach Debbie Buff, have qualified for the NE10 Championship in each of the past two seasons – something they hadn’t done two years prior to Buff’s arrival.
The 2021-22 season begins for New Haven in the SCSU Tip-Off Tournament on November 13 and 14. NE10 plays starts on the road at Le Moyne on Saturday, November 20, followed by a home contest against Pace on Tuesday, November 23. The Chargers trailed Adelphi by just one point in the poll for the top spot in the Southwest.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Brie Pergola (G) – Netted an average of 9.2 points, including 38.4-percent shooting from three-point range, in 27 starts for the Chargers in the 2019-20 season.
- Cam Debose (G) – Averaged 10.0 points and a team-best 1.8 steals in 27 starts for New Haven during the 2019-20 season.
#3 SAINT ANSELM (NE)
Saint Anselm, the NE10 runner-up in the 2019-20 season, recorded 66 points and finished third in the Northeast Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll behind only Stonehill and Bentley. The Hawks are coming off consecutive 20-plus win seasons under head coach Corey Boilard, including an East Region Championship in the 2018-19 season.
The 2021-22 season begins on the road at Roberts Wesleyan on Friday, November 12, with the first NE10 matchup at home against Bentley on Wednesday, November 17. Saint Anselm continues to work toward securing the program’s first NE10 title since the 1990-91 season.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Peyton Steinman (G) – All-Conference First Team in 2019-20; Ranked second in scoring among all NE10 players (19.6 points per game), trailing only her teammate Shannon Ryan.
- Macy Spinks (G) – All-Rookie Team in 2019-20; Averaged 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 28 game appearances for the Hawks.
#3 SO. CONNECTICUT (SW)
Southern Connecticut, under seven-year head coach Kate Lynch, finished third in voting in the Southwest Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll with 56 points, trailing only Adelphi and New Haven. The Owls look to bounce back from a 10-18 season in 2019-20. They are just four years removed from winning the Southwest Division regular season title in 2017-18.
SCSU will host the Conference Challenge on November 13 and 14, playing Georgian Court and Bloomfield. NE10 play begins on the road for the Owls at American International on Tuesday, November 23, before a meeting with crosstown rival New Haven at home on Wednesday, December 1. SCSU last qualified for the NE10 Championship in 2018-19 as the No. 5 seed.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Amani Boston (G) – Averaged 7.0 points and 2.4 assists in 25 appearances for the Owls in the 2019-20 season.
- Jessica Fressle (F) – Ranked 10th among NE10 players with 14.9 points per game in 27 starts for the Owls in the 2019-20 season.
#4 SO. NEW HAMPSHIRE (NE)
Southern New Hampshire collected 49 points in the Northeast Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll, finishing fourth under 17-year head coach Karen Pinkos. The Penmen have qualified for the NE10 Championship in each of the past three seasons with Pinkos at the helm, including a 12-win conference season in 2017-18.
The 2021-22 season opens for the Penmen in the Caldwell Tournament on November 13 and 14, while NE10 play opens at home against Assumption on Wednesday, November 17. SNHU travels to play in-state foe Saint Anselm less than a week later on Tuesday, November 23.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Karlee Ziliak (G) – Averaged 9.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 28 appearances for the Penmen in the 2019-20 season.
- Gyanna Russell (G) – Second on the team with 11.1 points per game in 2019-20, including 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
#4 LE MOYNE (SW)
Le Moyne will enter a new era in the 2021-22 season under first-year head coach Mary Grimes, as she returns to the program following a previous stint as an assistant coach. The Dolphins received 55 points and two first-place votes for a fourth-place finish in the Southwest Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll.
The 2021-22 season begins for Le Moyne at home against East Stroudsburg on Wednesday, November 17, while the NE10 opener against New Haven will be three days later on Saturday, November 20. The Dolphins will host Stonehill on January 8 in a rematch of a 2019-20 NE10 Championship semifinal. Le Moyne has reached the semifinals in each of the past four seasons, including an NE10 title in 2018-19.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Jenna Zimmerman (F) – Averaged 10.5 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds in 28 starts for Le Moyne during the 2019-20 season.
- Erin Fouracre (G) – Recorded 5.5 points and 2.2 assists per game in 28 appearances for the Dolphins in 2019-20.
#5 ASSUMPTION (NE)
Assumption collected 40 points in the Northeast Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll, edging out Franklin Pierce for fifth place. The Greyhounds are led by longtime head coach Kerry Phayre, who enters her 26th season with the program, and are coming off a 14-15 (7-12 NE10) season in 2019-20 – where they advanced to the NE10 Championship quarterfinals.
The 2021-22 season opens for Assumption with an NE10 matchup at home against Pace on Saturday, November 13. The Greyhounds will travel to play Stonehill on Tuesday, December 7, in a rematch of their 2019-20 NE10 quarterfinal game.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Meg Cramb (G) – Did not play in the 2019-20 season; Appeared in 28 games during 2018-19, averaging 9.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game for the Greyhounds.
- Emme Poulin (G) – Ranked second on the team with 8.9 points per game in 28 appearances for the Greyhounds during the 2019-20 season.
#5 PACE (SW)
Pace received 54 points and the final two first-place votes to rank fifth in the Southwest Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll, just one point behind Le Moyne for fourth. The Setters are led by head coach Carrie Seymour, who enters her milestone 30th season on the sidelines at Pace. In 2019-20, Pace was 19-10 (12-7 NE10) – recording its most victories since 20 in the 2011-12 campaign.
The Setters will travel to play Assumption in their season-opener on Saturday, November 13. On December 7, Pace gets a chance to make an early statement when it plays Adelphi – the Southwest Division favorite – on the road in Garden City.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Lauren Schetter (F) – All-Conference Second Team in 2019-20; Scored 14.7 points and grabbed 7.4 rebounds per game in 28 starts and 29 overall appearances for the Setters.
- Naya Rivera (G) – Averaged 5.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists while starting all 29 games for Pace in 2019-20.
#6 FRANKLIN PIERCE (NE)
Franklin Pierce finished sixth in voting in the Northeast Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll, tallying 39 points – just one point shy of Assumption in fifth. Head coach Mark Swasey enters his third season of his second stint with the Ravens, who went 11-15 (5-14 NE10) during the 2019-20 season.
The Ravens open the 2021-22 season in the Conference Challenge at the College of Staten Island on November 13 and 14, before opening its NE10 schedule on the road at Assumption on Tuesday, November 23. In December, Franklin Pierce will play Bentley (Dec. 4), Saint Anselm (Dec. 12) and Stonehill (Dec. 15) in consecutive games.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Rylee Skinner (G/F) – Averaged 5.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 26 starts for Franklin Pierce in the 2019-20 season.
- Emma Carter (F) - Averaged 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 24 starts for the Ravens during the 2019-20 season.
#6 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL (SW)
American International tallied 46 points and finished sixth in the Southwest Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll, as the Yellow Jackets come off an 8-21 (5-14 NE10) season in 2019-20. Head coach Kristen Hutchison, an NE10 Hall of Fame inductee as a student-athlete, enters her 15th season at the helm.
The Yellow Jackets open the 2021-22 season at St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday, November 12, before starting NE10 play at Pace on Saturday, November 20. AIC has qualified for the NE10 Championship in each of the past two seasons.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Kayla Robinson (G) – Scored 10.7 points with a team-best 1.6 steals per game in 27 starts and 28 overall appearances for the Yellow Jackets in 2019-20.
- Kyla Smith (G) – Averaged 12.7 points in nine games during the abbreviated 2020-21 season for the Yellow Jackets.
#7 SAINT MICHAEL'S (NE)
Saint Michael’s grabbed 26 points and finished seventh in the Northeast Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll. The Purple Knights, led by nine-year head coach Shannon Bollhardt, were 8-17 (2-17 NE10) during the 2019-20 season and finished last in the Northeast Division.
The Purple Knights play Division I Vermont in an exhibition game on Friday, November 5, before opening the regular season in the USciences Conference Challenge on November 12 and 13. The NE10 season starts on Saturday, November 20, at home against defending league champion Stonehill.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Nicole Anderson (G) – Ranked 14th among NE10 players with 13.7 points per game, in addition to grabbing 4.2 rebounds per contest in 25 starts for Saint Michael’s.
- Emma MacDonough (G) – Third on the team with 9.0 points per game in 24 starts and 25 overall appearances for the Purple Knights in 2019-20.
#7 SAINT ROSE (SW)
Saint Rose received 21 points and placed seventh in the Southwest Division Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll under second-year head coach Whitney Edwards. The Golden Knights went 7-19 (2-17 NE10) and finished in last place of the Southwest Division in 2019-20.
The 2021-22 season opens with an exhibition at Division I UMass on Monday, November 1, before starting the regular season in the USciences Conference Challenge on November 12 and 13. The first NE10 matchup is on the road at Adelphi on Saturday, November 20.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
- Nina Fedullo (F) – Led the team with 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in 25 starts for Saint Rose in the 2019-20 season.
Credits:
NE10 Institutions