LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball is set to begin the 2023-24 campaign on Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. against Robert Morris. The Red Flash have seven newcomers, which includes six freshmen, and seven returners.
 
Lean on Destini
Destini Ward is the only player from the 2022-23 team returning with starting experience from last season. She started 17-of-29 games and finished third on the team with 7.1 points per game. She earned one double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds against Merrimack and reached double-digit points seven times. She was a one-time NEC Prime Performer – one of five Red Flash players with a weekly honor last season and the only returner with one.
 
Maxwell's Return to the Court
Kaitlyn Maxwell is set to return to the court this season after she missed the entire 2022-23 season due to injury. During her sophomore season in 2021-22, she started 24-of-30 games and was eighth in single-season program history with a 40.5 three-point field goal percentage. She was second on the team with 21 steals and third with 8.4 points and 1.9 assists per game. During her freshman season, Maxwell was a one-time NEC Rookie of the Week and started 22-of-23 games.
 
Returners Ready for the Next Step
Saint Francis will lean on returners Julianna Gibson, Harris Robinson and Marissa Shelton to fill bigger roles this season. Gibson led the group with 17 appearances last season, followed by Harris' 13. "Working with the players we had last year definitely prepared me for playing this year," said Gibson. "I've accepted the role and I'm ready to show what I can do."
 
Daffe Brings Collegiate Experience to Loretto
Saint Francis' transfer forward Fanta Daffe brings in two years of junior college experience. She appeared in 24 games last season at Odessa College and 28 games at Kansas Technical College two seasons ago. During her two-year career, she started 33-of-52 games. She averaged 3.1 points per game last season after average 8.1 in her freshman season.
 
Freshman Class Has Arrived
Saint Francis welcomed six freshmen ahead of the 2023-24 season: Marina Artero, Alary Bell, Yanessa Boyd, Kendall Carruthers, Kameryn Dorsey and Brigid Scanlon. Carruthers leads the freshmen class after averaging at least 17 points and three steals per game during her junior and senior seasons. Dorsey is a single-game assists record holder at Saint Frances Academy with 14. Scanlon averaged 11.5 points per game during her high school career. Bell and Boyd were both state champions in their high school careers.
 
High-Level Playing Experience on the Coaching Staff
Newly hired assistant coach Zakiya Saunders and director of operations Alexa Middleton bring high-level collegiate experience to the coaching staff. Saunders was a three-time America East Champion at the University of Albany from 2013-16 and was a Second Team All-Conference selection in her junior season. She finished her collegiate career as a Second Team All-Conference selection at Central Florida in the 2017-18 season. She played two professional seasons in Sweden and Poland after her collegiate career. Middleton was a four-year player at Monmouth, where she was a 2019-20 MAAC All-Tournament Team selection.
 
Other Additions to the Saint Francis Staff
Alongside Saunders and Middleton, assistant coaches Joey Raniero and Nikolas Quezada join the 2023-24 staff. Raniero and Saunders coached together last season at Binghamton, where Raniero served as director of player development. He also has experience at Temple as the video coordinator. Quezada has three years of experience as a video coordinator at Oakland University and began his coaching career as a student manager at Miami University. Richie McKercher and Marcus Thliveris round out the staff as graduate assistants.
 
Non-Conference Features Four Power Five Opponents, Five Total Home Games
Saint Francis loaded its non-conference schedule with four Power Five opponents, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers and Syracuse, which is the most since 2014-15. In program history, Saint Francis is 1-7 against Penn State, 3-10 against Pitt and 0-2 against both Rutgers and Syracuse. Five home games during non-conference schedule marks the most since 2014-15. Saint Francis faced four of its five home opponents last season, with the first-ever matchup against Lafayette its only new opponent. Youngstown State leads the group of non-conference opponents outside the Power Five with a 19-11 record last season.  
 
Saint Francis Selected Seventh in NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll
The Red Flash were selected seventh out of nine teams in the 2023-24 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Sacred Heart led both the men's and women's preseason poll rankings and were selected unanimous favorites on the women's side. Merrimack, Wagner, FDU, Stonehill and LIU were all ahead of Saint Francis in the order. The conference's newest member Le Moyne was selected eighth, while CCSU was picked to finish last.
 
2022-23 Season Rewind
Saint Francis finished last season 7-22 overall and 6-10 in conference play. The season ended in the NEC Tournament Quarterfinals with a 66-60 loss to Merrimack. The non-conference season featured a 46-36 victory over Hartford in the final game before conference play. In a 56-52 victory over Stonehill on Jan. 6, Saint Francis tied its second-fewest single-game turnovers in program history with just five. Saint Francis won four of its last five home games of the season. Aaliyah Moore led the team with 10.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game and was a Second Team All-NEC selection.
 
Northeast Conference Welcomes Le Moyne
On May 10, 2023, Le Moyne accepted an invitation to join the Northeast Conference. The Dolphins can participate in NEC postseason competition in 2025-26 and NCAA postseason competition in 2027-28. Le Moyne was a four-time NCAA Division II East Regional participant in women's basketball ahead of its reclassification to Division I.
 
Saint Francis is set to open the season at home for the first time since 2012 on Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. against former NEC rival Robert Morris.