LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball travels to Mount St. Mary's for their first game of the Northeast Conference Tournament game on Monday, March 7 for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Jada Dapaa enters the postseason with seven straight double-doubles and ranks third in the NCAA Division I with 12.6 rebounds per game. She has 364 rebounds this season which is three shy of breaking Jess Zinobile's single-season program record of 366 set in 1999-00. She ranks ninth in the NEC with 2.7 assists per game and leads the team with 1.1 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. She is averaging a double-double with 10.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game since the start of conference play. Her 44.2 field goal percentage is 14th in the NEC.
» Jenna Mastellone is the only Red Flash player to average double-digit points in the entire season with 10.4 per game, 14th in the Northeast Conference. She has three games with more than 20 points which included a career-high 29 against Merrimack on Jan. 15.
» Sam Miller is eighth in the NEC with a 45.4 field goal percentage and averages seven points and 3.3 rebounds per game this season. She has 8.6 points per game and seven double-digit scoring games during conference play.
» Kaitlyn Maxwell ranks 13th in the NEC with a 44.2 field goal percentage and averages 8.6 points per game. She has seven games with at least 15 points this season.
 
Scouting Mount St. Mary's
The Mountaineers enter the postseason after they earned an 11-7 conference and 13-12 overall record this season. They clinched the No. 3 seed in the Northeast Conference Tournament with a 61-48 win over Saint Francis on Thursday. Kendall Bresee leads the NEC with 15.2 points per game, is second with 7.6 rebounds per game, ranks fifth with 4.1 assists per game and is tied for fifth with 0.9 blocks per game. She was a two-time NEC Player of the Week this season after she was named 2020-21 NEC Player of the Year last 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 tied for eighth in the conference with six rebounds per game and 10th with 1.3 steals per game. Kayla Agentowicz leads the NEC with a 50-percent field goal percentage and 44.9 percent from three-point territory.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis dropped its regular season finale 61-48 at home against Mount St. Mary's. The Mountaineers started the game with an 11-4 lead before the Red Flash cut the deficit to 15-13. After a 15-2 run to end the second quarter, Mount St. Mary's led 36-21 at halftime. Saint Francis was within six points, 41-35, before they trailed 45-36 after three quarters. In the fourth, they were within no more than eight points before an eventual 61-48 loss. Jada Dapaa recorded her seventh double-double in a row and her 11th of the season. Aaliyah Moore tied her career-high with 10 rebounds and Jenna Mastellone had her 10th game with at least 50-percent shooting from the field. Kendall Bresee led the Mountaineers with 16 points and six rebounds.
 
All-Time vs. Mount St. Mary's
Saint Francis holds a 39-34 all-time advantage over Mount St. Mary's, though the Mountaineers have won five of the past six meetings. The team's split the season series and both won their game on the road. Saint Francis holds a 7-2 all-time record over Mount St. Mary's in the Northeast Conference Tournament. They won all-seven in a row after the Mountaineers defeated the Red Flash in back-to-back championship games in 1994 and 1995. Saint Francis defeated Mount St. Mary's the following year in 1996, 83-75, in the championship. The teams last met in 2014, when Saint Francis won 68-63 in the semifinals.
 
Northeast Conference Playoffs
Sacred Heart defeated Central Connecticut in the play-in game Saturday afternoon and became the final team to clinch the Northeast Conference Tournament. All quarterfinals' games will be played on Monday, March 7 at 7 p.m.
No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. No. 8 Sacred Heart
No. 2 St. Francis Brooklyn vs. No. 7 Bryant
No. 3 Mount St. Mary's vs. No. 6 Saint Francis
No. 4 Wagner vs. No. 5 LIU
 
Dapaa Named an NEC Prime Performer in Final Weekly Awards
Jada Dapaa earned her eighth Northeast Conference Prime Performer selection of the season on March 6. She recorded her seventh double-double in a row with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the season finale against Mount St. Mary's. She finished the regular season ranked third in the NCAA Division I with 12.6 rebounds per game.
 
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
The loser of Monday's game will see their season conclude, while the winning team will move on to the Northeast Conference Tournament semifinals on Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m.