LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball heads to Coppin State on Sunday at 1 p.m. after an eight-day break. The Red Flash visit the Eagles after the latter has dropped three-straight games after starting the season 2-0.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Jada Dapaa has two 12-rebounds games this season and she led both of those games in individual rebounds. Her 7.5 rebounds per game lead the Northeast Conference (NEC).
» Diajha Allen has a team-leading 3.5 assists per game that ranks fifth in the NEC.
» Sophomore Kaitlyn Maxwell has a 21 and 15 point outing this season after never eclipsing more than 12 points as a freshman last season.
 
Scouting Coppin State
The Eagles enter Sunday's matchup on a three-game losing streak after opening the season 2-0. They defeated La Salle 73-70 and William & Mary 73-56 before losing the next three games by a combined 113 points. Guard Jaia Alexander leads Coppin State and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with 16.4 points per game, more than double any of her other teammates. Forward Colleen Bucknor has a team-leading 6.4 rebounds per game and guard Mossi Staples has 10 steals, which ranks tied-fourth in the MEAC. Both Alexander and Bucknor earned MEAC weekly honors on Nov. 16. Guard Aliyah Lawson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team and center Jalynda Salley were selected to the Preseason All-MEAC Second Team.
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash were defeated in their home opener, 63-54, against Longwood. They trailed by as many as 20 points, 42-22, before they stormed back to within three points, 53-53, with 3:50 remaining in the game. After they trailed by five again, Lili Benzel hit two free throws that cut the deficit back to three points, 55-52. The Lancers strung together back-to-back layups before winning by nine points. Kaitlyn Maxwell had a team-leading 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and Benzel reached double-digit points for the first time this season with 10. Jada Dapaa led the game with 12 rebounds, her second double-digit rebound game of the season. The Red Flash outrebounded the Lancers by 17 in the loss.
 
All-Time vs. Coppin State
The Red Flash hold a 2-0 all-time advantage over the Eagles, though Sunday's matchup between the programs will be the first since 2011. The last matchup, played in Baltimore, was a thrilling 69-67 victory for Saint Francis. The Red Flash led by eight points early in the second half before the Eagles stormed back and took the lead, though Saint Francis was able to regain and hold the lead through the game's final minutes. In the other matchup, Saint Francis won 77-67 at DeGol Arena. Sunday's matchup will mark exactly 11 years since the programs first played on Nov. 28, 2010.
 
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 next travel to Bucknell on Wednesday, Dec. 1 for a 4 p.m. tip-off.