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Saint Francis University Athletics

Jenna Mastellone
71
Winner Merrimack Merri 11-7,4-3 NEC
56
Saint Francis (PA) SF-PA 7-11,5-2 NEC
Winner
Merrimack Merri
11-7,4-3 NEC
71
Final
56
Saint Francis (PA) SF-PA
7-11,5-2 NEC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Merrimack Merri 15 21 15 20 71
Saint Francis (PA) SF-PA 10 15 15 16 56

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | David Halstead

Red Flash fall to Merrimack on MLK day, 71-56

Loretto, Pa. – Saint Francis women's basketball (7-11, 5-2 NEC) was unable to overcome a strong Merrimack (11-7, 4-3 NEC) team in a 71-56 defeat on Monday afternoon at DeGol Arena. Jenna Mastellone (New York City, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) led the Red Flash in scoring, tying her career-high with 14 points.

A back-and-forth start to the game had the teams tied 6-6 following a Sam Miller (Red Lion, PA/Dallastown) layup with 4:33 to play in the first quarter. The Warriors held an 11-6 lead with 1:26 remaining and led 15-10 at the end of the first stanza.

Haley Thomas' (Hooversville, PA/Bishop McCort) jumper trimmed the margin to 18-16 before a 9-0 Warriors run put the visitors ahead 27-16 with 5:48 to go in the second quarter. Merrimack extended its lead to 34-20 before Mastellone connected on a three-pointer for the Red Flash with 2:35 left. The Warriors held a 36-25 halftime advantage.

Saint Francis started strong in the third quarter as a Thomas jumper cut the margin to 38-32 with 6:57 remaining. A 10-2 Merrimack run pushed the lead to 48-34 with just under three minutes to go in the third frame. SFU continued to stay within shouting distance, pulling within nine following a Jada Dapaa (Potomac, MD/Holy Child) layup with 22 seconds left. The Warriors led 51-40 at the end of the third period.

Merrimack held a double-digit lead for the entire fourth quarter, taking its largest lead of the game at 71-52 with 3:11 remaining in the contest. Kayley Kovac (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe Area) and Dapaa scored field goals in the final two minutes to produce the final score.
 
Inside the Box Score
  • Saint Francis shot 27-of-62 (43.5%) from the floor, while going only 2-of-15 (13.3%) from three-point range.
  • On the contrary, the Warriors lit it up from behind the arc, shooting 12-of-25 (52.2%) from long range.
  • The Red Flash held a 38-30 rebounding advantage.
  • SFU scored 32 points off the bench compared to Merrimack's 12 bench points.
  • Dapaa (eight points, 10 rebounds) and Thomas (eight points, nine rebounds) nearly recorded double-doubles for the Red Flash.
  • The freshmen duo of Dettwiller and Miller also scored eight points each.
  • The Warriors' Denia Davis-Stewart left a mark on the stat sheet, scoring 26 points, while recording 14 rebounds. She was 7-of-15 from the field, including 6-of-7 from three-point range.
Notes
  • The contest was the first-ever meeting between the schools.
  • SFU snaps a three-game winning streak, all of which were on its home floor.
  • It's the first double-digit defeat for the Red Flash since Dec. 21, 2019 against Bucknell.
  • Mastellone's 14 points matched her career-best which she set the last time out against Sacred Heart.
Up Next
Saint Francis hits the road to play at St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m.
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