The sometimes-fine line in NCAA sports between Division I and II basketball programs showed up this week when Seton Hill caught St. Francis (Pa.) by surprise in an exhibition game, handing the Red Flash a come-from-behind, eye-opening loss on their home court.

It speaks to the strength of the D-II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, where Seton Hill was picked to finish fifth among nine women’s teams in the Western Division after going 19-11, 12-9 last season.

“I saw somebody this summer on the recruiting trail and they said, ‘Where do you think you’ll finish in the division?’ ” Seton Hill coach Mark Katarski said. “I said, ‘We’ll finish somewhere between ninth and first. That, I can guarantee, for sure.’

“It’s such a neat conference in how competitive it is.”

The Griffins’ 83-78 exhibition victory Tuesday at St. Francis won’t count, but it should serve notice to the rest of the PSAC West that Katarski’s program is no pushover, though the Griffins did receive one first-place vote from the division’s coaches.

St. Francis is coming off back-to-back seasons in which the Red Flash appeared in the Northeast Conference championship game, winning the title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2018.

Seton Hill is coming off its sixth consecutive PSAC Tournament appearance since Katarski took over the program in 2013. It went 20-10 in 2017-18.

The Griffins earned their second PSAC Tournament victory a season ago, beating Pitt-Johnstown in the first round.

And before that, they turned heads with some big performances down the stretch.

“We got to play two nationally ranked teams in the same week in the regular season, and that doesn’t happen very often,” Katarski said. “We’ve defeated a top-10 team in each of the last two seasons, and all that is by virtue of playing in such a powerful conference.”

Among Seton Hill’s successes last season were wins over then-No. 17 Cal (Pa.) and then-No. 8 IUP, which advanced to the Final Four.

“It was really exciting to end the regular season that way,” Katarski said. “We’re making progress in this conference, but the team’s challenge is to be the best team it can be this year.

“Just forget trying to keep alive any streak. Just be the best now and all that other stuff will take care of itself.”

The Griffins lose their top scorer from last season, Megan Marecic, a Bethel Park product, who averaged 18.7 points, but return second-leading scorer Cheyenne Trest (12.0) from Canon-McMillan.

Seton Hill (2-0) opened the season with a pair of victories in the Mountain East Conference/PSAC Challenge against Concord and Fairmont State.

Seton Hill’s schedule continues Saturday with the home opener against Malone. The Griffins open PSAC play Nov. 23 in a divisional crossover game against visiting Mansfield.

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