Women's Basketball | 11/4/2026 2:30:00 PM

LORETTO, Pa. – A new era of Saint Francis women's basketball tips off Friday, Nov. 6, when the Red Wolves open the 2026-27 season at Yale University.

It is the program's first season in its transition to Division III, and it begins with a clean slate. The roster is entirely new from a year ago, with no returning players. Raphael McNeill leads the group. He took over as acting head coach late in the 2025-26 season and was named head coach in April.

"We will be a team that aims to play an exciting brand of basketball," McNeill said. "A team that competes hard each and every night and represents the university and student body in a manner that will make you all proud."

In stark contrast, the team the Red Wolves will face Friday night will lean on a deep and experienced roster. Yale returns 13 players from a season ago, including five who started at least 11 games last season.

McNeill's non-conference schedule will be a heavy lift.  It includes road games at North Texas (Nov. 18), George Washington (Nov. 28), Hampton (Dec. 14), North Carolina A&T (Dec. 19), and Delaware (Dec. 30). The Red Wolves will also host Binghamton on Dec. 21.
 
Conference Outlook

On Wednesday, the Presidents' Athletic Conference announced its women's basketball preseason poll. This is the second season the PAC will have a divisional format. Each team will play 16 games in the regular season against conference foes. Schools will play their divisional opponents twice and teams from the other division once.

Saint Francis was placed in the South Division; however, its results will not count as the University continues its reclassification to Division III.

The preseason poll gave the No. 1 spot in the South Division to Washington and Jefferson. Head coach Jina DeRubbo enters her 23^rd season with W&J. The Presidents claimed their second consecutive and eighth overall PAC Championship last year and finished with a 22-7 record.

Grove City was voted as the favorite to win the North Division.

Saint Francis begins conference play on Nov. 21 with a trip to Saint Vincent. The PAC Home Opener is set for Nov. 30, when Waynesburg visits DeGol Arena.

Click here for the full schedule

The PAC also included its annual Players to Watch List. The Red Wolves will look to freshman guard Demi Marshall to lead the offense. A Washington, D.C. native, Marshall had a successful career at Dunbar High School where she earned first-team All-State honors.

Coach McNeill will also lean on some local talent. Minyhah Easterling joins the roster after transferring from Mansfield University. A junior, Easterling graduated from nearby Glendale Area High School where she was the Moshannon Valley Player of the Year. 

Madelyn Lieb is in her sophomore year at Saint Francis. She was a three-sport athlete at Bishop Carroll High School.

2026 Roster Information

Coach McNeill said his team is aware of the legacy of Saint Francis women's basketball, and the players are excited to make their mark on the program. He believes the challenging non-conference schedule will better prepare them for league games in the PAC.