LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball returns home for the first time this season when they host Longwood on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Red Flash are off an 86-33 loss at No. 22 West Virginia, while Longwood is off a thrilling 77-76 victory over Duquesne.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Off a season-high 11 points, Jenna Mastellone ranks fifth in the Northeast Conference with a 58.8 shooting percentage.
» Diajha Allen has a team-leading three assists per game that ranks ninth in the NEC.
» Jada Dapaa's team-leading six rebounds per game ranks 11th in the Northeast Conference.
 
Scouting Longwood
The Lancers enter Saturday's contest with a 1-2 record, most recently with a 77-76 victory over Duquesne. They lost 97-67 against No. 4 Maryland to open the season, when Kyla McMakin scored a game-high 22 points and four other players scored double digits. Longwood is led by McMakin, who is the reigning Big South scoring leader and All-Big South, and is averaging 19 points per game. Akila Smith, reigning Big South Defensive Player of the Year, leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game, nine blocks, seven steals and has added 14.7 points per game. Two other players, Adriana Shipp and Tra'dayja Smith, average double-digit points to start the season. The Lancers were selected to finish third in the Big South Preseason Coaches' Poll. McMakin and Smith were named to the Big South Preseason All-Conference team.
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash were taken down 86-33 at No. 22 West Virginia on Tuesday. Graduate student Jenna Mastellone had a team-leading 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Aaliyah Moore grabbed a career- and game-high eight rebounds and played a career-high 23 minutes. Diajha Allen added two steals for the Red Flash. West Virginia forced 35 Saint Francis turnovers, led by Kirsten Deans' seven steals. 2022 Women's Naismith Trophy Watch List selection, Esmery Martinez, had a game-high 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting and a team-high seven rebounds.
 
All-Time vs. Longwood
Saint Francis holds a 2-1 all-time advantage over Longwood, most recently with a 91-88 victory in 2018. Despite the close score, the Red Flash held a lead for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Saint Francis is 1-0 at home in the series history, with a 65-55 victory in 2007. The Lancers' only victory came in 2008 when they defeated the Red Flash 78-66.  
 
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 have an eight-day break before returning to the court on Sunday, Nov. 28 at Coppin State for a 1 p.m. tip-off.