SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Augustana women's basketball team opens the truncated 2021 basketball season Saturday and Sunday hosting MSU Moorhead inside the Elmen Center.
No spectators will be allowed but there will be a free live stream of both contests on the NSIC Network.
About the Vikings
The Augustana women's basketball team enters the 2020-21 season with all but four seniors from last year's team that went 17-11 and 12-10 in conference play.
Dave Krauth returns for this 32nd season leading Augustana, owning a record of 645-280. In addition to returning two starters from last season in Aislinn Duffy and Hannah Mitby, the Vikings welcome two freshmen and two redshirt freshmen into this year's mix.
Before being sidelined for the remainder of the 2019-20 season, the 2018-19 NSIC Freshman of the Year, Vishe' Rabb started the first six games, averaging 14.2 points per contest on 40-percent shooting from the field.
Mitby averaged 10.6 points per contest on 43-percent shooting while averaging 3.5 rebounds. She also ranked second in the NSIC last season with 2.0 steals per game in league action. These averages increased to 11.3 points per contest on 41-percent shooting and 3.6 rebounds over the NSIC slate.
Duffy averaged 8.8 points and five rebounds per game while Lauren Sees averaged 8.1 points per contest on 44-percent shooting. The duo of Duffy and Sees each earned a spot on the NSIC All-Freshmen Team last season.
As a team, Augustana averaged 71.2 points per contest while shooting 39-percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc.
About the Dragons
The MSUM women finished 17-13 a year ago – the 20th straight winning season under the direction of Head Coach Karla Nelson.
The Dragons lost leading scorer Megan Hintz and have just two seniors but return eight players with experience heading into 2020-21.
That returning group is led by junior forward Peyton Boom, who was a Second Team All-NSIC selection in 2019-20. Boom led the Dragons in field-goal percentage (51.2 percent) and was second on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game.
Senior guard Sarah Jacobson started all 30 games for the Dragons in 2019-20 and was second on the team in assists with 95. Junior guard Natalie Steichen also started all 30 games a year ago and led the team with 110 assists. She also led the team in steals at 35.
How to Watch
The newly launched NSIC Network will carry every basketball game this season for free. In addition to watching online, fans can view the games through apps on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku. Search for "NSIC Network" to find the app on your relevant device.
One Last Thing
Augustana is playing in its on-campus facility, the Elmen Center, instead of its home floor of the Sanford Pentagon due to facility availability after scheduling changes. Although the Elmen Center has not been the official home floor for the Vikings for some time, the women's basketball program holds a 24-2 record inside the facility dating back to the 2014-15 season.
--GoAugie.com--
