SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Following a 7-1 start to the season, the Augustana women's basketball will now open Northern Sun Conference play this Saturday at the Sioux Fall Arena vs. Wayne State. The game, which is part of a men's and women's doubleheader, will tip-off at 3:30 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets here and those not in attendance can watch the game at GoAugie.com/live.

The 2017-2018 NSIC tournament champions, Saturday marks the start of Augustana's title defense. Although the Viking graduated a few key student-athletes from last year championship team, the program has not missed a beat in 2018. Through eight games, the Vikings rank among the top three in the NSIC points per game, field goals made, assists and turnovers forced.

Coach Krauth and the Vikings are excited to open conference play this weekend. "Our conference games seem to take on an added importance. The 22 games can feel like a grind around midseason," said Krauth. "But our players appear to be very excited about getting conference season rolling."

Most recently, the Vikings are coming off of a win over Waldorf (IA), 96-63. In the win, the Vikings forced 27 turnovers, which led to 44 points. Augustana also saw a balanced scoring effort from four student-athletes, with four players scoring in double-digits. Leading the way for the Vikings was Camryn Hay with 19 points and 8 rebounds.

Coming into their ninth game of the season the Vikings are led by Abby Hora scoring 12.3 points per game. The junior from Viborg, S.D. dropped 16 points in the win over Waldorf, Tuesday. Shelby Selland is right behind Hora averaging 12 points per game, Selland also leads the team in rebounds as the senior grabs 9.4 per game.

The Vikings and Wayne State will face off Saturday for the 37th time in program history, with Augustana holding a 20-16 advantage. Most recently, the two sides squared up on Dec. 18, 2017, where the Vikings came out on top, 84-59.
The Wildcats (4-1, 0-0 NSIC) are led by four student-athletes that score in double digits, Erin Norling (14.8), Halley Busse (14.2), Haley Vesey (11.6), and Andrea Larson (10.4).

Scouting Wayne State:
• Wayne State is led by first-year head coach Brent Pollari.
• Wayne State comes into this NSIC matchup 4-1 to start their 2018-19 season.
• Overall, they are shooting 38.5 percent as a team from the field (122-317).
• The Wildcats are averaging 70 points per game after five games while giving up nearly 61 points per contest.
• The Wildcats most recent win came against Peru State (put the state in...like (IA), 79-65.
• In their most recent win over Peru State, the Wildcats were led by Haley Versey (16 points) and Halley Busse led on the boards with 9 rebounds.
• The Wildcats have four student-athletes that score in double digits, Erin Norling (14.8), Halley Busse (14.2), Haley Vesey (11.6), and Andrea Larson (10.4).
• The 79 points the Wildcats scored vs Peru State is a season high.
• The had 33 trips to the charity stripe vs Nebraska-Kearney (11/10/18) which was a season-high.