LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball welcomes Merrimack to DeGol Arena for the fourth matchup in program history on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 4 p.m.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Jada Dapaa recorded 13 rebounds against LIU and moved up to 35th in the NCAA Division I rankings with her 9.9 rebounds per game. She is the only Northeast Conference player to rank in the top-100 and one-of-three to rank in the top-200. She also set a career-high with five assists against LIU.
» Sam Miller set a season-high with 13 points against LIU, one shy of tying her career-high. She also dished out a career-high three assists and shot 57.1 percent from the field.
» Lili Benzel tied her season-high with 14 points and four converted three-point field goals. Her 109 three-point field goal attempts this season rank tied-20th in the NCAA Division I.
» The Red Flash continue to improve their rebounding margin, as they sit second in the conference with a plus-2.6 margin. They are one of only three teams (Bryant and Fairleigh Dickinson) to have a positive margin.
 
Scouting Merrimack
The Warriors enter Saturday's game with a 4-8 overall record and 2-2 conference record. Both conference wins were via forfeit against St. Francis Brooklyn and LIU and are not reflected in their overall record, per NCAA policy. Merrimack played Fairleigh Dickinson to a 76-65 double-overtime loss in its first on-court conference game this season. They have one notable win, 65-52, over UAlbany, who is 9-4 and second in the America East. Forward Mayson Kimball leads the Warriors with 13.5 points per game which ranks fifth in the NEC. Guard Kate Mager is the only other Warrior to average double-digit points with 11.9 per game.  Forwards Teneisia Brown and Paige McCormick rank in the NEC top-10 in rebounds per game with 6.4 and 5.8, respectively. Mager and McCormick each earned one NEC Player of the Week honor this season. The Warriors become a full NCAA Division I member in 2023-24 after becoming an NCAA Division I program in 2019-20 in every sport except men's and women's ice hockey, which was already an NCAA Division I program.
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash earned their first victory of the season with a 66-50 home win over LIU. The Red Flash led 13-4 at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 18 points, 24-6, midway through the second quarter. With a 9-0 run in the third quarter, LIU cut the deficit to 43-37 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth, LIU was within five points, 50-45, before nine-straight Red Flash points and eventual 15-point victory. Sam Miller set a season-high with 13 points and Lili Benzel tied her season-high with 14. Jada Dapaa and Miller each set a career-high with five and three assists, respectively. The Red Flash never trailed in the game after scoring first 1:59 into the game. LIU's Brandy Thomas scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
 
All-Time vs. Merrimack
The Red Flash hold a 2-1 advantage over the Warriors since they became an NCAA Division I program in 2019-20. All-three games were played at DeGol Arena and Saint Francis won the last two meetings. Merrimack took the matchup's inaugural meeting, 71-56, on Jan. 20, 2020. In the last matchup, a 61-48 Saint Francis victory, current Merrimack player Mayson Kimball had a game-high 14 points while Jada Dapaa had a double-double with a team-high 12 points and 11 rebounds. Merrimack will not be eligible for the Northeast Conference postseason until they finish the NCAA's reclassification period in 2023-24.
 
Around the NEC
Through the first two weeks of play, Wagner remains the only undefeated team in the Northeast Conference after they defeated second-place Sacred Heart, 52-38. Fairleigh Dickinson is tied for second place after a 76-65 double-overtime victory over Merrimack. After two COVID-related forfeits to start the conference season, St. Francis Brooklyn defeated Saint Francis and unanimous preseason favorite Mount St. Mary's and moved to 2-2. Saint Francis defeated LIU, 66-50, and left the Sharks as the only winless team in the conference. Bryant and Saint Francis are the only programs to play all-four of its scheduled games.
 
Dapaa Earned Second Northeast Conference Prime Performer
Forward Jada Dapaa earned her second Northeast Conference Prime Performer selection of the season on Jan. 10. She scored a career-high 17 points against St. Francis Brooklyn and grabbed a combined 24 rebounds against the Terriers and LIU. She grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out a career-high five assists in the team's first win of the season 66-50 over LIU. The performance against St. Francis Brooklyn marked her third double-double of the season and seventh of her career.
 
Dapaa Achieved 500 Career Rebounds Milestone
Forward Jada Dapaa eclipsed the 500 career rebounds mark with her third-quarter board against Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 31. She finished the game with one additional rebound that put her career total at 501. She will need 598 rebounds to enter Saint Francis' top-15 all-time rankings. At the time of her 500th board, she had a 9.5 rebounds per game average with 16 regular season games remaining, barring any cancellations.
 
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 wraps up its homestand on Monday, Jan. 17 against Bryant for a 5 p.m. tip-off.