LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball is ready to open 2021-22 Northeast Conference play on Wednesday at Wagner for a 2 p.m. tip-off. The game marks the first of 18 scheduled conference games for the Red Flash.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Jenna Mastellone earned the second Red Flash weekly award this season when she was named an NEC Prime Performer on Dec. 27. She ranks 11th in the conference with a 44.9 shooting percentage during non-conference play.
» Jada Dapaa finished non-conference play with a conference-leading 9.4 rebounds per game, 1.4 per game better than second best. Her per game mark ranks tied-51st in the NCAA Division I.
» Kaitlyn Maxwell had the best single-game point performance of the non-conference season when she put up 21 points against Temple.
» Diajha Allen, Maxwell and Dapaa were the only three Red Flash players to start all-11 games, while six other players appeared in all-11.
 
Scouting Wagner
The Seahawks enter conference play with a 7-3 overall record and are the only NEC team with an above .500 record. They are 5-0 at home, headlined by a 62-59 win over Big East member St. John's on Dec. 12. Wagner ended non-conference play with two-straight losses to Big 10 member Rutgers, 73-54, and Big East member Seton Hall, 70-62. Emilija Krista Grava leads the Seahawks' attack with 12.7 points per game, which ranks fourth in the conference, and 5.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 11th in the conference. She shoots 93.9 percent from the free-throw line, which ranks seventh in the NCAA Division I. Freshman guard Lina Loceniece has earned three NEC Rookie of the Week honors this season as she ranks fifth in the conference with 42.5 percent shooting from three-point territory. Guards Drayah Heyward (2.6) and Zhaneia Thybulle (1.9) rank first and second in the NEC in steals per game.
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash fell 60-43 to Jacksonville State in their final non-conference game of the season. The 60 points against were the fewest allowed by Saint Francis this season. The Red Flash scored the only four points in the first 2:30 of the game before the Gamecocks responded with an 18-2 run. After the run by Jacksonville State, Saint Francis was only able to cut the deficit to single digits one time for the remainder of the game and trailed by as many as 21 points. Jenna Mastellone finished with 16 points and tied her career high with six converted field goals. Jada Dapaa grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, her seventh double-digit rebound game of the season and tied her career high with four assists and season high with two steals. The Gamecocks' attack was led by 12 points from Kiana Johnson and 11 from Kaiya Burnell.
 
Since 2002 vs. Wagner
The Red Flash hold a 29-6 advantage over the Seahawks, though Wagner has won the last two meeting between the programs. The Seahawks defeated the Red Flash 70-57 in the 2020-21 NEC Tournament led by 16 points from since-graduated Khaleah Edwards. Karson Swogger, who also graduated, led the Red Flash with 19 points and Jada Dapaa had a game-high seven rebounds. Prior to Wagner's two-game winning streak, Saint Francis won 9-of-10 meetings between 2015-20 and 16-of-18 meetings from 2010-20. The Red Flash won 11-straight games from 2002-08. The largest margin of victory for Saint Francis since 2002 was 37 points, 80-43, in 2013, while Wagner's was 18 points, 87-71, in 2017.
 
Around the NEC
The Northeast Conference announced the cancellation of six women's games on Tuesday. Mount St. Mary's vs. Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner, St. Francis Brooklyn vs. Merrimack and at Central Connecticut and LIU vs. Sacred Heart and Merrimack have all been cancelled. LIU, Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis Brooklyn are the teams who were unable to compete due to COVID protocols and all-three will be forced to take two forfeits. As a result of the cancellations, Merrimack will officially start 2-0 on conference play. Despite the cancellations, there are still four NEC games on the schedule this weekend. Saint Francis and Bryant are the only programs scheduled to play two games.
 
Mastellone Named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer
Guard Jenna Mastellone earned the first weekly honor of her career when she was named a Northeast Conference prime Performer on Dec. 27. She recorded a game-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting at Jacksonville State. The performance pushed her to 11th in the NEC with a 44.9 shooting percentage through non-conference play. Her six converted field goals were tied for her career-high that she set in 2020 against Merrimack.
 
The NEC Announces an Expansion of 2022 Tournament
The Northeast Conference announced a one-time expansion of the 2022 NEC Men's and Women's Tournament to include all-nine eligible teams on Dec. 23. The vote will maintain the league's current cancellation and forfeit policy. The policy is as follows:

• If a team is unable to compete due to COVID-19 related issues, the NEC contest will not be rescheduled and will be considered a forfeit. For purposes of conference regular season standings and tiebreakers, a forfeit will count as an NEC win for the team that was cleared to compete, and a loss for the team that could not compete.
• If two opponents are unable to compete due to COVID-19 issues, both teams shall be deemed to have forfeited and each team will be charged with a loss.
• As per NCAA policy, a COVID-19 related forfeit will not change a team's official won-lost record, nor will it impact statistics or coaching records.
• In the event of a forfeit during an NEC championship game, the bracket will not be modified and the team cleared to compete will advance

 
Melendez Rounds Out the Red Flash Coaching Staff
Tayra Melendez was hired as an assistant coach to round out head coach Keila Whittington's coaching staff. Melendez is part of the Puerto Rican National Team since 2014 and was one of 12 players selected to represent Puerto Rico at the summer 2020 Olympics. She played professionally in the PR-Baloncesto Superior Nacional Femenino, where she was a two-time league champion, two-time Defensive Player of the League and one-time Finals MVP. Melendez joins the Red Flash after she spent two seasons with Bryant as the director of operations.
 
Dapaa Named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer
Jada Dapaa earned the first weekly honor for the Red Flash this season when she was selected as an NEC Prime Performer on Dec. 6. The senior grabbed 26 rebounds in two games against La Salle and Bucknell and recorded a double-double against La Salle. The selection was the second weekly honor of Dapaa's career, her first a Prime Performer selection on Feb. 8, 2021. 
 
The Red Flash Welcome Five Players in 2022 Signing Class
Saint Francis adds five players, guards Katie Ambrose, Semaya Turner and Destini Ward and forwards Jade Campbell and Julianna Gibson, in the 2022 signing class. Ambose accumulated 1,222 points, 665 assists, 428 rebounds and 363 steals in her first three seasons. In 64 career games, Turner amassed 584 points, 501 rebounds, 119 steals and 99 blocks. Ward is a two-time Baltimore County All-Division Team selection. Campbell has over 700 points in her career and has a single-game high of 33 points and 23 rebounds. Lastly, Gibson scored 79 points and grabbed 79 rebounds in 13 games during her junior season.
 
"We found five players who will fill in the gaps, along with the players we have returning next season," said head coach Keila Whittington. "Each player brings passion and a love for the game, athleticism, and a desire to join a program that works hard to fight for and win championships."
 
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
Saint Francis has a New Years Eve showdown with Fairleigh Dickinson, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 31 for a 2 p.m. tip-off.