LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball plays their first road game in 2022 when they visit Central Connecticut on Friday, Jan. 21 for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» The Red Flash are on a three-game winning streak that featured two season-high offensive showings with 70 points. Five different players scored double-digit points during the run and three players, Jenna Mastellone, Lili Benzel and Sam Miller, had two double-digit games.
» Mastellone earned her second Northeast Conference Prime Performer selection after a season-high 29 points vs. Merrimack on Jan. 15, the most by a Red Flash player in 53 games at the time of her performance.
» Benzel tied her career-high with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-of-8 shooting from three-point territory in the team's victory over Bryant. Her 124 three-point field goal attempts this season are 18th in the NCAA Division I.
» Jada Dapaa cracked the top-30 in the NCAA Division I rebounds per game with her 29th-ranked 10.4. She is the only NEC player in the top-100 and is averaging 2.3 rebounds per game more than NEC second-ranked Brooke Bjelko, whom Dapaa held to just two rebounds against Bryant.
» Jordan McLemore scored a season-high 15 points against Bryant are her most since she scored 18 against UAlbany on Jan. 25, 2020 as a player for Hartford.
 
Scouting Central Connecticut
The Blue Devils enter Friday's contest with a 2-4 conference and 3-10 overall record. One conference win vs. St. Francis Brooklyn and one conference loss at Sacred Heart were due to forfeit via COVID protocols. Central Connecticut's non-forfeit conference win came in a 69-53 defeat of Merrimack, while they also lost to then-winless LIU, 62-51. Ashley Berube has a team-leading 15.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Her points rank second and her rebounds rank sixth in the conference. Berube was selected as NEC Player of the Week one time this season and has nine games with at least 14 points. Forever Toppin's team leading 1.8 steals and 3.4 assists per game rank third and eighth in the conference, respectively. The Blue Devils lead the conference with four blocks per game and rank fourth with 7.2 steals per game. They rank last in the conference with a 27.4 three-point percentage, 10.1 assists per game and a minus-6.8 rebounding margin.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis defeated Bryant 70-62 for its third straight victory and second straight by the exact score of 70-62. The teams were tied at 15 to finish the first quarter before Bryant exploded in the second quarter and took a 15-point, 43-28, lead into halftime. Bryant held a 54-44 lead after three quarters before Saint Francis stormed back with an 11-2 run to start the fourth quarter. With the score 56-55 Bryant at 4:50 remaining, Saint Francis took a four-point, 66-62, lead with 1:09 remaining after a back-and-forth three minutes. The Red Flash secured a 70-62 victory behind Lili Benzel's career-high tying 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point territory. Jordan McLemore scored a season-high 16 points and Jada Dapaa recorded her ninth double-digit rebound game in the past 10 games with 14. Bryant's Fatou Jallow led the team with 15 points, while Brooke Bjelko was held to just eight points and two rebounds.
 
All-Time vs. Central Connecticut
The Red Flash hold a 35-13 all-time advantage over the Blue Devils and are currently riding a five-game winning streak. Saint Francis has won 10 of the last 12 meetings between the teams after Central Connecticut's three-game winning streak. The Blue Devils won the matchups inaugural game in the 1997-98 season 70-67 before Saint Francis went on a matchup-high 13-game winning streak from 1998-2005. In the program's last matchup, Lili Benzel led current Red Flash players with 18 points and Jada Dapaa grabbed a game-high nine rebounds in the team's 69-62 win. Central Connecticut's Forever Toppin had a game-high 21 points and five assists.
 
Around the NEC
Fairleigh Dickinson sits alone atop the standings after they defeated Wagner, 73-53, to claim the top spot. Wagner dropped to 4-2 and are now in a second-place tie with St. Francis Brooklyn after the Terriers defeated LIU, 59-53, and Sacred Heart after a 63-56 defeat of Central Connecticut. Saint Francis improved to 3-3 in conference play after a 15-point comeback defeat of Bryant, 70-62. Bryant's Brooke Bjelko recorded the 1,000th point of her career in the game. Mount St. Mary's improved to 3-3 after a 78-70 defeated of Merrimack, as the Warriors fall to 2-4. The Mountaineers' Michaela Harrison set a new school record for three-point field goals made with the 238th of her career in the opening seconds of the game.
 
Mastellone Earned Second Northeast Conference Prime Performer
Guard Jenna Mastellone earned her second Northeast Conference Prime Performer selection of the season on Jan. 19. She scored a career-high 29 points in Saint Francis' 70-62 win over Merrimack, the most scored by a Red Flash player since Karson Swogger's 29 points against St. Francis Brooklyn on Jan. 11, 2019 – a 53-game span. At the time of her selection, Mastellone ranked 11th in the NEC with a 45.5 shooting percentage and 13th with 10.3 points per game.
 
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 freshmen, 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 freshmen 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 concludes its road trip in Connecticut with a visit to Sacred Heart on Sunday, Jan. 23 for a 2 p.m. tip-off.