Women's Basketball

Bentley Leads NE10 Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll

Falcons Picked First for Fourth Time in Five Seasons

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Bentley, a perennial women's basketball powerhouse, has been selected first in the Northeast 10 Conference Coaches' Poll for the fourth time in the past five seasons. The announcement was made by the league office on Wednesday morning.

Bentley, the 2026 NE10 Championship finalist, tallied 81 points and nine first-place votes in the poll. Under head coach C White, the Falcons have won four of the past five NE10 Championship titles and are 81-18 (.818) in conference play during that time. Bentley has hosted two of the past three NCAA East Regionals and enters the 2026-27 season having won a conference-record 24 NE10 Championship titles. The next closest team (Stonehill) has six. 

Bentley returns its top two scorers from a year ago in Kayana Armbrister and Niya Morgen - a duo that helped the Falcons rank in the top three of all NE10 programs in both scoring offense and scoring defense. 

Southern Connecticut (SCSU), the reigning NE10 champion, is second in the poll with 69 points and one first-place vote. In 2026, the Owls won their first NE10 Championship title in nearly 20 years by upsetting top-seeded Bentley. SCSU went on to host the NCAA East Regional for the first time since 2007. The Owls had the top scoring defense in the NE10 last season, allowing only 53.3 points per game to opponents. 

Assumption was third in the poll with 64 points, while Adelphi (53 points) and American International (44 points) complete the top five. Last season, Assumption qualified for the NCAA East Regional for the fourth consecutive season. 

Southern New Hampshire (SNHU) finished sixth in the poll, followed by Saint Michael's, Pace, Saint Anselm and Franklin Pierce, respectively.

The 2026-27 NE10 season opens with five teams in action on Monday, November 9th. All home games and conference games can be watched this season on NE10 NOW on FloCollege. 

2026-27 NE10 Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll
Rank Team Votes (1st Place)
1 Bentley 81 (9)
2 SCSU 69 (1)
3    Assumption 64
4 Adelphi 53
5 AIC 44
6 SNHU 42
7 Saint Michael's 37
8 Pace 26
9 Saint Anselm 24
10 Franklin Pierce 10

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.