LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball is set to face Fairleigh Dickinson in their second conference game on Friday for a 2 p.m. tip-off. The Red Flash enter Friday's contest off a 65-56 loss at Wagner, while the Knights enter with a 1-0 conference record after a Mount St. Mary's forfeit.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Jada Dapaa ranks 30th in the NCAA Division I with 9.8 rebounds per game after her season-high 15 rebounds against Wagner. Dapaa and Bryant's Brooke Bjelko, 81st with 8.7 rebounds per game, are the only NEC players ranked in the top-200.
» Jordan McLemore played 30:32 in Saint Francis' last game, seven minutes more than her previous season high, and scored a season-high 14 points.
» Kaitlyn Maxwell shot 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 from three-point territory against Wagner for 19 points. The performance moved her into a tie with Jenna Mastellone for the team lead with 8.5 points per game.
 
Scouting Fairleigh Dickinson
The Knights enter Friday's contest with a 4-6 overall record and 1-0 conference record. Their conference victory comes after Mount St. Mary's was forced to forfeit and the victory is not reflected to the team's overall record, per NCAA cancellation policy. Fairleigh Dickinson scored a season-high 88 points in a thrilling 92-88 double overtime loss at Western Kentucky. Sophomore Chloe Wilson leads the Knights with 11.4 points per game and is the only player on the team to average double digits. Her points per game ranks top-10 in the NEC. Madison Stanley has a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game that ranks top-five in the NEC and her 1.8 blocks per game is second in the conference. Two players, Wilson and Rachael Niles, rank top-10 in the NEC in steals per game with 1.5 and 1.4, respectively. Both Wilson and Niles rank top-three in the NEC in free-throw percentage amongst eligible players. As a team, Wagner leads the conference with 37.8 rebounds per game, 73.7 free-throw percentage and is second with 64.0 points per game.
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash fell 65-56 at Wagner in their conference opener. Saint Francis trailed 17-6 early in the first quarter before the deficit was cut to 23-19 at the end of the first. The teams had a low-scoring second quarter, as Wagner entered halftime with a 32-24 lead. Out of the half, the Seahawks scored 12-straight points and all-five field goals were scored by five different players. Saint Francis rallied to cut the deficit to 60-54 with under three minutes remaining, but Wagner converted 5-of-6 free throws to seal its nine-point victory. Jada Dapaa grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds that extended her season total to 9.8 per game. Kaitlyn Maxwell scored 19 points on 6-of-9 (66.6 percent) shooting, her second-highest percentage this season. Jordan McLemore played a season-high 30:32 and scored 14 points. The Seahawks had three scorers in double digits, led by Alex Cowan's 17.
 
Last 10 Meetings vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
The Red Flash hold a 9-1 advantage over the Knights that dates back to the 2016-17 season. Saint Francis won both meetings during the 2020-21 season, both away, by a combined 27 points. During a seven-game winning streak from 2016-2019, Saint Francis scored over 80 points in four of the games and over 70 in all-seven. The largest margin of victory was a 24-point victory, 80-56, in 2017. The smallest margin of victory was a three-point win, 82-79, in 2016. The only victory for Fairleigh Dickinson was a 56-47 win in 2020.
 
Around the NEC
The NEC 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 were all 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 are forced to take two forfeits. In the two conference games played on Wednesday, Bryant defeated Central Connecticut 60-53 and Wagner defeated Saint Francis 65-56. Doe to cancellations, Sacred Heart vs. Bryant and Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Saint Francis are the only two games remaining on this week's slate. As a result of the cancellations, Merrimack will officially start 2-0 in conference play and Wagner joined them atop the standings after a defeat of Saint Francis combined with a Mount St. Mary's forfeit.
 
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 is scheduled to return home for the first time since Dec. 4 when they host St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.