LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball is set to face its second Mid-American Conference opponent this season when they visit Toledo on Wednesday for an 11 a.m. tip-off. The game marks the first of six-straight away games for the Red Flash.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Jada Dapaa is coming off her fifth-career double-double and first Saint Francis weekly honor of the season with her NEC Prime Performer selection.
» Jenna Mastellone set a career-high with 17 points against La Salle and now has two-straight games with 15 or more points.
» Diajha Allen had a career-high seven assists against La Salle and ranks top-10 in the conference with 3.43 rebounds per game.
» Saint Francis shot a higher percentage than their opponent for the first time this season against La Salle when they shot 40.7 percent to the Explorers' 29.2 percent.
 
Scouting Toledo
The Rockets enter Wednesday's game with a 3-2 record, their losses coming 69-60 to Dayton and 68-63 in overtime to Seton Hall. Junior Quinesha Lockett has a Mid-American Conference-leading 21.4 points per game through the first four weeks of the season. She was named Second Team Preseason All-MAC after she finished her sophomore season as a Third Team All-MAC selection. Freshman Jessica Cook started her collegiate career with back-to-back double-doubles this season and currently averages 10.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Head coach Tricia Cullop is in her 14th season and has one MAC Championship, two MAC regular-season titles and four MAC West Division crowns in her tenure. The Rockets were selected to finish eighth out of 12 teams in the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.  
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash took a 64-59 loss against La Salle in their final non-conference home game of the season. Saint Francis held a 10-point lead midway through the second quarter and entered halftime with a three-point lead, 25-22. They held the five-point lead until La Salle put together a 19-5 run and led 52-43 early in the fourth quarter. The Red Flash got within two points in the final 35 seconds of the game, but the Explorers sunk all-six intentional foul free-throw opportunities. Jenna Mastellone ended with a career-high 17 points and Jada Dapaa recorded her fifth-career double-double. The Red Flash outshot the Explorers 40.7 percent to 29.2 percent and outrebounded 48-31.
 
All-Time vs. Toledo
Toledo holds a 2-1 all-time advantage over Saint Francis with all-three games played at Toledo. The Red Flash won the first matchup between the programs on Dec. 30, 2004, 82-79 in overtime. The team's played their second matchup in 2010, when Toledo evened the series with a 71-66 victory. The last game was played in 2017, when Toledo won 74-66. Saint Francis graduate student Jenna Mastellone and Toledo senior Mariah Copeland are the only players remaining from the last matchup. Mastellone played two minutes in the game, while Copeland played one minute and scored one point.
 
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.  
 
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 visit Duquesne on Saturday, Dec. 11 for a 5 p.m. tip-off before an eight-day break.