LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball is set to host St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The game will mark Saint Francis' first home game since Dec. 4 against La Salle.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Jada Dapaa remains in the NCAA Division I top-50 with her 9.5 rebounds per game. She grabbed her 500th career rebound against Fairleigh Dickinson last Friday.
» Jenna Mastellone scored a career-high 23 points at Fairleigh Dickinson last Friday. The 23 points are the most in a single game by any Red Flash player on the current roster. She is eighth in the Northeast Conference with a 45.7 shooting percentage and 16th with 9.7 points per game.
» Jordan McLemore made her first start as a member of the Red Flash at Fairleigh Dickinson and played the second-highest minutes on the team with 28.
» The Red Flash are one of only three NEC teams with a positive rebounding margin (+1). The other two are Bryant (+4.8) and Fairleigh Dickinson (+2.1).
 
Scouting St. Francis Brooklyn
The Terriers enter Thursday's contest with a 4-6 overall record and 0-2 conference record. Both conference losses are a result of COVID-19 protocol cancellations and are not reflected in the team's overall record per NCAA policy. St. Francis Brooklyn's season is highlighted by a 66-63 defeat of Michigan State for the program's first win over a Power Five opponent. They defeated West Virginia in 1978 but the Mountaineers were still an independent program. Fruzsina Horvath has a team-high 15 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game, though she has played only five games and has not appeared since the game against Michigan State on Nov. 23. Ally Lassen has 11.3 points per game, which ranks ninth in the NEC. Nevena Dimitrijevic ranks second in the NEC with 4.4 assists per game and Alyssa Fisher ranks fifth with 1.5 steals per game. As a team, the Terriers lead the NEC with a +3.6 turnover margin and 15.4 assists per game. They rank fourth with 62.6 points per game.  
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis fell in a New Year's Eve showdown at Fairleigh Dickinson, 65-47. The Red Flash fell behind early before they scored the final seven points of the first half and cut the deficit to two points, 26-24. Out of the half, the Knights responded with a 22-9 scoring advantage in the third quarter that opened up a 15-point lead before their eventual 18-point victory. Jenna Mastellone scored a career-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, tied for the most converted field goals by a Red Flash player this season. Jada Dapaa paced the Red Flash with a game-high six rebounds, which marked her 11th time leading Saint Francis in rebounds this season. Fairleigh Dickinson's Madison Stanley and Aniya Bell scored 18 points each.
 
Since 2010 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
Over the past 22 meetings since the 2009-10 season, Saint Francis holds a 16-6 advantage over St. Francis Brooklyn. The Red Flash have won 10 of the last 12 meetings, though the Terriers won the last meeting between the programs 63-55. In the last matchup, Jada Dapaa recorded her third career double-double and Lili Benzel scored 14 points. Current St. Francis Brooklyn player Fruzsina Horvath recorded a double-double with 17 points in the game. During the stretch, Saint Francis scored a high of 94 points in 2018 and scored more than 80 points in six games. They scored a low of 55 points on three occasions, all losses. St. Francis Brooklyn's high in points is 90, while the low is 38.
 
Around the NEC
Four teams sit atop the Northeast Conference standings with a 2-0 record: Wagner, Sacred Heart, Fairleigh Dickinson and Merrimack. Wagner, Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson all won one game via forfeit, while Merrimack won both games via forfeit. St. Francis Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary's and LIU all started 0-2 due to COVID-19 protocol cancellations in week one. With no games currently cancelled, the NEC could see its full five-game slate played on Thursday for the first time this season. Fairleigh Dickinson and Merrimack face off in a battle of 2-0 teams, while Mount St. Mary's plays LIU and Saint Francis plays St. Francis Brooklyn in a battle of 0-2 teams.
 
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 hosts LIU for their second-straight home game on Saturday, Jan. 8 for a 4 p.m. tip-off.