Women's Basketball

Bentley, Four-Time Reigning NE10 Champion, Picked First in Coaches' Poll

Falcons Earn Top Spot for Third Time in Four Seasons.

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Bentley, the four-time reigning league champion, has been selected first in the 2025-26 Northeast 10 Conference Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll - as announced on Wednesday afternoon. 

Bentley received 81 points and nine first-place votes, garnering first-place support from every opposing head coach, to earn the top spot in the poll for the third time in the last four seasons. Southern Connecticut came in second with 67 points and one first-place vote, while Saint Anselm was third with 62 points. 

Under the direction of head coach C White, the Falcons have dominated conference play with a 64-17 record (.790) and won four-straight NE10 Championship titles, as well as hosted the NCAA Division II East Regional each of the past two seasons. Bentley defeated Holy Family to win the East Regional last season, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015-16. The Falcons finished the 2024-25 season with a 33-2 record, its best record since a perfect 35-0 season in 2013-14 when they won the NCAA Division II National Championship. 

Bentley returns just one starter in Cassidy Yeomans, but she is joined by Niya Morgen - a Second Team All-Conference performer - who was third on the team in scoring (10.9 points per game) and led all NE10 players in three-point shooting (.474 percentage) a year ago. 

Southern Connecticut has posted a consecutive pair of 19-win seasons, which included a trip to the NCAA Division II East Regional last season. The Owls return the duo of Hope Fox and Rheyna Steinauer - who combined for an average of 19.3 points and 11.6 rebounds last season. Saint Anselm is coming off a second-place finish in the NE10 standings (14-6 conference record) and will be led by Tatum Forbes, who ranked second in the NE10 in steals last season (2.3 per game) while averaging 11.5 points and 4.7 assists per game. 

Assumption, the reigning NE10 Championship finalist, is fourth in the poll with 51 points and American International is fifth with 47 points. It is the highest finish in the poll for the Yellow Jackets since the conference moved away from a divisional format in 2022-23. 

Saint Michael's placed sixth with 42 points, Adelphi and Southern New Hampshire tied for seventh with 31 points, Pace was ninth with 26 points and Franklin Pierce was 10th with 12 points.  

The 2025-26 NE10 season opens on Friday, November 14. All home and conference games this season can be watched on NE10 NOW on FloSports. 

2025-26 NE10 Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll
Rank Team Votes (1st Place)
1 Bentley Falcons 81 (9)
2 SCSU Owls 67 (1)
3    Saint Anselm Hawks 62
4 Assumption Greyhounds 51
5 AIC Yellow Jackets 47
6 Saint Michael's Purple Knights 42
7 Adelphi Panthers 31
7 SNHU Penmen 31
9 Pace Setters 26
10 Franklin Pierce Ravens 12

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
 
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season.  The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.