PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team is set to begin its 2025-26 season. The Hawks welcome West Chester to Hagan Arena on Tuesday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m.
 
Saint Joseph's (0-0) vs. West Chester (0-0)
Date: Tuesday, November 4
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Site: Philadelphia, Pa. | Hagan Arena
TV: ESPN+ (Mike Samsel, Renie Shields)
Series History: Saint Joseph's leads 9-0 (5-0 home, 2-0 away, 2-0 in games without home designation)
 
SAINT JOSEPH'S   SCHEDULE | ROSTER | STATS | GAME NOTES
WEST CHESTER    SCHEDULE | ROSTER | STATS | GAME NOTES
 
OPENING TIP
The 2025-26 season marks the sixth consecutive year that the Hawks opened their campaign at home; St. Joe's has won its last six home openers overall. Over that six-game span, the Hawks have won by an average of 26.3 points per game. Overall, head coach Cindy Griffin is 19-5 in home openers with the Hawks.
 
St. Joe's is coming off its 27^th postseason appearance, reaching the second round of the WBIT last season. Under Coach Griffin, the Hawks have recorded two NCAA Tournament appearances, two WBIT appearances and 11 WNIT appearances. Eleven of the Hawks' 18 wins in the postseason have come with Coach Griffin at the helm.
 
Tuesday marks just the third time a Cindy Griffin-led team has faced a Division II opponent. The Hawks set a program record with a 72-point victory over Goldey-Beacom (102-30) in last season's home opener, while defeating Savannah State in an 88-41 victory at the Gator Holiday Classic during the 2012-13 season.
 
NO NONSENSE IN THE NON-CONFERENCE
Over the last three seasons, the Hawks have posted a 30-5 record in non-conference play with nine or more wins in each year.
 
PROTECTING HAWK HILL
The Hawks finished 13-4 in 2024-25 on Hawk Hill to finish with a .765 winning percentage. The 13 wins matched the second-most wins in Hagan Arena, equaling the win totals from the 2023-24 and 2005-06 teams (13-3) and the 2001-02 team (13-2).
 
Over the last three seasons, the Hawks are 38-10 (.791) inside Hagan Arena.
 
NEW ERA BEGINS IN 2025-26
The Hawks look to replace four players from last year's starting lineup. Only Gabby Casey (33) enters the season having started seven or more games last year. Aleah Snead (6), Rhian Stokes (4) and Kaylie Griffin (1) also made starts in 2024-25.
 
The 2024-25 season ended with the departure of three players who all ranked among the program's top 11 all-time scorers, who combined for 4,737 points. Faith Stinson joins St. Joe's as the leading scorer on the team with 565 career points while Gabby Casey's 390 points are the most as a Hawk.
 
Saint Joseph's has 15 players on the 2025-26 roster, representing four states and four countries excluding the United States. Amar Mansour (Lebanon) and Emirson Devenie (Australia) are the first Hawks to represent their countries, while Meja Jägerskog (Sweden) and Olivia Lutterodt (Denmark) are each the second player to join the program from their respective countries.
 
Eight newcomers joined the Hawks over the offseason, four coming by way of the transfer portal while Coach Griffin and company signed four freshmen in the team. Jill Jekot (Penn State), Cecilia Kay (American), Mansour (Missouri Baptist) and Stinson (IU Indy) transferred in to Hawk Hill, while Lutterodt, Kaylinn Bethea, Rian Dotsey and Emily Knouse will all make their debut in 2025-26.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday marks the return of a series that is more than 50 years old after nearly a 43-year hiatus in the series. Saint Joseph's has dominated the series history, winning all nine previous matchups by an average of 17.2 points per game.
 
West Chester finished last season at 15-15, going 11-10 in the PSAC. The Golden Rams defeated Millersville in the PSAC Tournament before falling in the quarterfinals.