LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball wraps up the regular season with a home matchup against Mount St. Mary's on Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m. The top-four teams already clinched a quarterfinals home game and the Red Flash will visit either Mount St. Mary's or Wagner on Monday, March 7.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Jada Dapaa recorded her third game with at least 20 rebounds this season against Sacred Heart and her sixth straight double-double. She ranks third in the NCAA Division I with 12.6 rebounds per game. Her 352 total rebounds this season ranks tied for third in single-season program history and is 14 shy of tying Jess Zinobile's record of 366 set in 1999-00.
» Jenna Mastellone leads the Red Flash with 10.4 points per game and has 11.7 points per game since the start of conference play. Her 10.4 points per game ranks 15th in the Northeast Conference.
» Sam Miller ranks eighth in the NEC with a 46.1 field goal percentage. She averages 7.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
» Lili Benzel recorded 15 points and raised her season total to 8.3 points per game. Her 1.9 three-point field goals made per game ranks fifth in the NEC.
 
Scouting Mount St. Mary's
The Mountaineers enter Thursday's contest with a 10-7 conference and 12-12 overall record. Two of Mount St. Mary's conference losses were due to COVID-related forfeits. They clinched home court for the NEC quarterfinals and will either play LIU or Saint Francis as the No. 3 or No. 4 seed. Kendall Bresee leads the NEC with 15.2 points per game, ranks second with 7.7 rebounds per game, tied-fourth with one block per game and fifth with 4.1 assists per game. She is a two-time NEC Player of the Week selection this season. Michaela Harrison is second on the team with 10.2 points per game and she set the program record for three pointers made in a career on Jan. 17. Isabelle Hunt is top-10 in the NEC with six rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. The Mountaineers lead the conference with a 42.1 field goal percentage and 35.9 three-point percentage.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis defeated Sacred Heart 74-68 on Senior Day, led by honorees Jada Dapaa, Jenna Mastellone and Lili Benzel. Sacred Heart took an early 11-5 lead and took a 20-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. They fought off a 9-4 run by Saint Francis in the second quarter and held a 30-28 lead at halftime. The Red Flash put together a 9-2 run in the third and took a 44-42 lead. Dapaa ended the quarter with a buzzer-beater from over half court that gave Saint Francis a 54-46 lead. Sacred Heart was within three, 68-65, with under one minute remaining before Saint Francis clinched its six-point victory. Dapaa recorded her sixth straight double-double with 17 points and 21 rebounds. Mastellone scored 17 points and Benzel added 15 on 3-of-6 shooting from three-point territory. Sonia Smith led the Pioneers with a game-high 24 points.
 
All-Time vs. Mount St. Mary's
Saint Francis holds a 39-33 all-time advantage over Mount St. Mary's. The Red Flash won 17-of-20 matchups between 2008-19 before the Mountaineers put together a four-game winning streak. Saint Francis snapped the winning streak with a 70-58 defeat of the Mountaineers on Jan. 29. Jordan McLemore scored a season-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Kaitlyn Maxwell scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jada Dapaa recorded one of her three games with at least 20 rebounds. Kendall Bresee led Mount St. Mary's with a game-high 22 points.
 
Around the NEC
With a 63-50 defeat of LIU, Fairleigh Dickinson clinched 2021-22 Northeast Conference Regular-Season Champions. St. Francis Brooklyn clinched the No. 2 seed in the tournament and will play one of Bryant or Sacred Heart. Mount St. Mary's can clinch the No. 3 seed with a win over Saint Francis or a Wagner loss to Merrimack. Wagner clinches the No. 3 seed with a win and Mount St. Mary's loss. The Mountaineers and Seahawks both clinched home court for the NEC quarterfinals. Saint Francis becomes the No. 5 seed with a win or LIU loss and LIU becomes the No. 5 seed with a win and Saint Francis loss. Saint Francis and LIU will either face Mount St. Mary's or Wagner based on tiebreaker scenarios. Central Connecticut is locked into the No. 9 seed and will face either Bryant or Sacred Heart in the play-in game. Merrimack is still ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA reclassification rules.
 
Dapaa, Mastellone Earn Northeast Conference Prime Performer Selections
Jada Dapaa earned her seventh Northeast Conference Prime Performer and Jenna Mastellone earned her fourth honor this season on Feb. 28. Dapaa recorded 27 points, 35 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block in two games against Central Connecticut and Sacred Heart. Against Scared Heart, she grabbed 21 rebounds and scored 17 points. At the time of her performance, she moved to third in the NCAA Division I with 12.6 rebounds per game. Mastellone had 28 points and 13 rebounds in the two games and tied her season-high with seven rebounds against Sacred Heart. Her 17 points against the Pioneers were the fifth-most she scored this season.  
 
Dapaa Named NEC Player of the Week
For the second week in a row, Jada Dapaa was named Northeast Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 21. She recorded a career-high 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting against St. Francis Brooklyn. In two games, she combined for 39 points, 35 rebounds, seven assists, four steals and two blocks. She grabbed her 300th rebound of the season and became the fifth player in Saint Francis history to achieve the feat. She finished the weekend with 317 rebounds and moved to sixth in single-season program history.
 
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 awaits its postseason opponents based on multiple tiebreaker scenarios. The Red Flash will enter the tournament as either a No. 5 or No. 6 seed and will visit either Mount St. Mary's or Wagner.