LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball hits the road for a matchup against Mid-America Conference foe Kent State on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. The Red Flash come off a 73-53 loss at Temple, while the Golden Flashes are off an 80-73 victory over Northern Kentucky.
 
Scouting Kent State
The Golden Flashes enter Sunday's contest with a 1-0 record after an 80-73 victory at Northern Kentucky. Four players scored double-digit points, led by Casey Santoro's 19 and Lindsey Thall's 17, who also added a game-high eight rebounds and three steals, and a team-high three blocks. Despite being a seven-point game, Kent State led in every statistical category except assists. The Golden Flashes were selected to finish fourth in the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, behind Ohio, Blowing Green and Buffalo. Nila Blackford was selected to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team and she produced 10 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's season opener.  
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash are off a 20-point defeat at Temple, 73-53. Sophomore Kaitlyn Maxwell had a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, with four rebounds. Jada Dapaa led the team with five rebounds and three assists, tied with Diajha Allen. Two freshman, Maria McConnell and Layla Lawns, saw their first collegiate action in the game. Temple's Jiselle Thomas and Mia Davis led the Owls with 20 and 18 points, respectively. The Owls forced 28 turnovers while only committing 14 of their own. Despite the loss, Saint Francis had multiple personal career-high marks in the first game of the season.
 
All-Time vs. Kent State
Saint Francis holds a 4-1 series advantage over Kent State, most recently off a thrilling 67-64 victory in 2020. The Golden Flashes won the series' first game in 2006, but the Red Flash have since won the past four meetings, including an 80-79 overtime victory in 2011. Last season's victory was the first meeting between the programs since 2012. In the victory, three returning players, Lili Benzel (13), Jenna Mastellone (nine) and Diajha Allen (nine) were amongst the top four Red Flash scorers. Jada Dapaa added eight rebounds and two steals in the win. Kent State's top-three scorers from the game, Lindsey Thall (17) Nila Blackford (13) and Mariah Modkins (nine) have returned for the 2021-22 season.
 
Red Flash Picked Third in NEC Preseason Poll
Saint Francis was picked to finish third in the 2021-22 NEC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll. The Red Flash trail Mount St. Mary's, unanimously selected to win the conference, and Wagner. Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson rounded out the top-five voting. Mount St. Mary's won the NEC in 2020-21 after defeating Wagner, 70-38.
 
Dapaa, McLemore Named Team Captains
Seniors Jada Dapaa and Jordan McLemore were named captains, selected by their teammates. Both will serve as captain for the first time, McLemore serving her captaincy in her first season with the Red Flash. "We opened up voting this year to our players," said head coach Keila Whittington. "She [McLemore] earned that respect from the work she put in during the summer."
 
2021-22 Non-Conference Schedule Highlighted by Two Power Five Opponents
The Red Flash non-conference schedule features marquee matchups against Georgia and West Virginia. Georgia finished the 2020-21 season ranked 10th, while West Virginia finished 17th in the Associated Press Poll. MAC opponents Toledo and Kent State and AAC opponent Temple join the group of notable non-conference opponents.
 
Taylor Returns to Saint Francis as Assistant Coach
Former Red Flash forward Brooklyn Taylor rejoined the program as an assistant coach in May 2021. She previously spent the past three seasons with Akron and two seasons at Mercer after her 2016 graduation from Saint Francis. As a player, Taylor appeared in 70 games across four seasons with the Red Flash.
 
Brown Named to Red Flash Coaching Staff
Assistant coach Erika Brown joined the Red Flash staff in May 2021 after previously coaching at Harcum College, Stony Brook and Florida International. During her time with Stony Brook in 2019-20, she assisted a team that went 28-3 and won the America East Championship. They were poised for a NCAA Tournament run before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a player at Delaware, Brown ranked 10th in program history with 1,402 career points.
 
The Red Flash Return Two Starters, Three Others with Saint Francis Starting Experience
Kaitlyn Maxwell and Lili Benzel return after starting 22 and 18 games, respectively. Jenna Mastellone (six), Jada Dapaa (three) and Sam Miller (one) also bring starting experience to the 2021-22 season. Benzel, Mastellone and Dapaa all averaged more than 22 minutes per game. Dapaa led the team with 8.6 rebounds-per-game, which ranked second in the NEC. Benzel had an NEC-leading 48 made three-point shots and team-leading 36.1 percent from three. She has a chance to reach the Saint Francis top-10 rankings in just three seasons with the team. Mastellone's 105-career appearances with Saint Francis is 47 more than second-most on the team (Dapaa, 58). Maxwell and Miller will fill larger roles with three key departures after averaging 18.6 and 15.8 minutes-per-game, respectively.
 
Five Newcomers Added
The Red Flash welcomed five new members, one transfer, Jordan McLemore, and four freshman, Layla Laws, Maria McConnell, Adison Novosel and Nyla Rozier. McLemore, a senior, comes from Hartford where she was fifth in the America East with 95 assists in 2019-20. The four freshman all stand 5-foot-11 or taller and have two forwards and two guards. McConnell grew up in Nanty Glo, Pa. and played basketball at Blacklick Valley, 20 minutes away from Saint Francis.
 
Next
The Red Flash travel to Kent State on Sunday, Nov. 14 for a 2 p.m. tip-off before a visit to West Virginia on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.