LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball starts their final road trip of the season with a 7 p.m. tip-off on Thursday, Feb. 17 at LIU.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Jada Dapaa was named Northeast Conference Co-Player of the Week after a 13-point, 16-rebound double-double in a win over first-place Fairleigh Dickinson. She is ninth in the NCAA Division I with 11.8 rebounds per game, the only NEC player in the top-150.
» Lili Benzel earned her first Prime Performer selection of the season for her team-high 19 points in the win over Fairleigh Dickinson. The points were her third-highest output this season.
» Kaitlyn Maxwell recorded a career-high seven assists in the win over Fairleigh Dickinson. She also tied her season-high with three steals.
» Sam Miller recorded 13 points, which marked her sixth double-digit scoring game in the past nine. She is averaging 9.3 points per game in conference play this season.
 
Scouting LIU
The Sharks enter Thursday's contest with a 5-8 conference and 5-16 overall record. Prior to a current two-game losing streak, LIU won four-of-five games and are 5-4 since an 0-12 start to the season. Senior Brandy Thomas paces the Sharks with 2.1 steals per game, second in the NEC, 6.1 rebounds per game, eighth in the NEC, and 11.6 points per game, 11th in the NEC. Freshman Emaia O'Brien is top-10 in the conference with 1.8 three-point field goals made per game and a 40.5 three-point shooting percentage. She has a conference-best five NEC Rookie of the Week honors this season. Tayra Eke leads the NEC with 1.7 blocks per game, despite having no games started this season. As a team, LIU leads the conference with 3.5 blocks per game.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis became the second team to defeat first-place Fairleigh Dickinson this season with a 70-56 victory on Feb. 11. The Red Flash took an early lead at the end of a low-scoring first quarter, 10-7. They slowly built a 28-21 halftime lead behind Jenna Mastellone's buzzer-beating layup. The Red Flash extended the lead with a 14-6 run in the first five minutes of the third quarter and ended the quarter with a 50-36 lead. Jada Dapaa led the team to a 20-point lead, 63-43, with less than four minutes remaining before the eventual 14-point win. Dapaa recorded four blocks and had her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 16 rebounds. Lili Benzel led the team with 19 points, her third-highest output of the season. Aniya Bell led the Knights with a game-high 24 points and Madison Stanley was held to only four points and three rebounds.  
 
Since 2020 vs. LIU
The Red Flash hold a 3-2 advantage over the Sharks since the 2019-20 season. LIU took the first two contests with 71 points scored in both games, while Saint Francis is riding a current three-game winning streak. Saint Francis won its first game of the season on Jan. 8 with a 66-50 home win over LIU. Lili Benzel tied her then-season-high with 14 points and Sam Miller added 13 points and a career-high three assists. Jada Dapaa recorded a then-career-high five assists and 13 rebounds. LIU was led by a game-high 18 points and team-high five rebounds from Brandy Thomas.
 
Around the NEC
Saint Francis moved to 7-6 after they defeated first-place Fairleigh Dickinson, though the Knights still hold a two-game lead with their 11-2 record. St. Francis Brooklyn defeated LIU and moved to 9-4 in conference play, while the Sharks fell to 5-8. Mount St. Mary's moved to third-place with a third straight win, over Wagner 53-51. Bryant handed Sacred Heart its seventh straight loss with a dominant 67-47 win. Last-place Central Connecticut earned its third win of the conference season with a 75-66 defeat of Merrimack.
 
Dapaa Named NEC Co-Player of the Week, Benzel Prime Performer
Jada Dapaa earned her first-career major weekly award with a Northeast Conference Co-Player of the Week selection on Feb. 14. She earned her sixth double-double of the season in a win over first-place Fairleigh Dickinson on Feb. 11. She had a career-high four blocks and her seventh game of the season with at least 15 rebounds. At the time of her honor, she ranked ninth in the NCAA Division I with 11.8 rebounds per game. Lili Benzel earned her first Prime Performer selection of the season after a team-high 19 points in the defeat of Fairleigh Dickinson.
 
Dapaa Named Northeast Conference Prime Performer for the Fourth Time
Forward Jada Dapaa earned her fourth Northeast Conference Prime Performer selection of the season on Feb. 7. She scored a career-high 19 points and added 16 rebounds at Merrimack to record her fifth double-double of the season. She also tied her career-high with three steals, which ties the most in a single-game by a Red Flash player this season.
 
Dapaa, Mastellone Earn Third Northeast Conference Prime Performer Honors
Forward Jada Dapaa and guard Jenna Mastellone both earned their third Northeast Conference Prime Performer selection on Jan. 25. Dapaa grabbed 38 rebounds in two victories over Central Connecticut and Sacred Heart. Her 23 rebounds at Sacred Heart are one shy of tying a single-game program record and tied for the most by a player in the NCAA Division I this season. Mastellone had 20 points against Sacred Heart and 19 against Central Connecticut. She had 20 or more points in three of her first seven games to start conference play.
 
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 wraps up its regular season road matchups with a visit to St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, Feb. 19 for a 2 p.m. tip-off.