LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's basketball is set to face Merrimack, the Northeast Conference No. 3 seed, in the NEC Tournament Quarterfinals on Monday, March 6 at 7 p.m.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
Aaliyah finished atop the NEC with 9.8 rebounds per game, two higher than any other player, and ranks 25th in the NCAA Division I. She as 10.3 points per game, which includes 11.7 per game during conference play. She finished the regular season with 13 double-digit scoring and rebounding games and recorded eight double-doubles. Semaya Turner finished second on the team with 8.0 points per game this season and 9.6 during 16 conference games. She earned the only Saint Francis major NEC weekly award this season with her Co-Rookie honor on Feb. 20. Filippa Goula finished the regular season sixth in the NEC with 2.8 assists per game and fourth on the Red Flash with 7.0 points per game. Destini Ward was third on the team with 7.3 points per game and had seven double-digit scoring games this season. Saint Francis ranked second in the NEC with a 3.0 rebounding margin and was the only team other than Fairleigh Dickinson to have a positive margin over 0.5.
 
NEC Tournament History
Saint Francis is a 12-time NEC Champion and 18-time participant in the championship game, with its last appearance in 2019 against Robert Morris and last victory in 2018 over the Colonials. In 2023, Saint Francis will seek its first tournament victory under head coach Keila Whittington and first victory since a 91-78 win over Bryant in 2019. The matchup against Merrimack will be the Warriors' first playoff game as a Division I program.
 
Scouting Merrimack
The Warriors won nine of its last 10 regular season games, which included a 7-1 conference record, to earn a No. 3 seed in the NEC Tournament. The run was highlighted by a 73-66 win over No. 2 seeded Scared Heart, who Merrimack was 2-0 against this season. The Warriors clinched the No. 3 seed with a 61-60 win against St. Francis Brooklyn in the regular season finale. Marissa Hamilton leads the team with a conference sixth-ranked 13.6 points per game, followed by Kaylee Thomas' 11.2 and Jayme DeCesare's 10.6. DeCesare and Thomas are both top-10 in the NEC with 1.9 and 1.6 three-point shots made per game, respectively. DeCesare is also top-10 in the conference with 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Amaya Staton is eighth in the conference with 5.8 rebounds per game, followed by Hamilton's 5.5. As a team, Merrimack is top-four in the conference in scoring (61.3), three-point shots per game (6.3) and rebounding (35.9).
 
All-Time vs. Merrimack
Merrimack owns a 4-3 all-time record over Saint Francis and is 2-0 over the Red Flash this season. The Warriors escaped with a narrow 67-65 win at Saint Francis on Feb. 4 before a 80-62 home victory on Feb. 11. During the first meeting, Ward tied a career-high with 15 points and had a career-high 12 rebounds for her only double-double of the season. Merrimack has won the last three meetings after Saint Francis won three in a row. The Warriors won the first meeting between the programs 71-56 in 2020.
 
Around the NEC
Fairleigh Dickinson clinched the No. 1 seed and its second NEC Regular Season title in a row this season. The Knights will host No. 8 Central Connecticut, who dropped its last six games of the season and fell to the bottom of the NEC standings. Sacred Heart earned the No. 2 seed and will host No. 7 LIU, who jumped Central Connecticut in the standings with a 59-57 win in the regular season finale. Merrimack earned the No. 3 seed and rights to host No. 6 Saint Francis after a 61-60 win over St. Francis Brooklyn in the finale. With the loss, St. Francis Brooklyn fell to the No. 4 seed and will host No. 5 Wagner, who went 2-8 across its final 10 conference games after a 6-0 start to its conference season. All higher seeds for the quarterfinals are 2-0 against its opponents this season.
 
Next
The winner of Monday's quarterfinals game will advance to the semifinals, while the loser's season will come to an end.