SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana women's basketball team heads south for a road matchup against Wayne State on Wednesday before playing inside the Sanford Pentagon on Saturday against Southwest Minnesota State. The Vikings and Wildcats tip-off at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while the contest on Saturday also is a 7:30 p.m. start.
 
Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app, presented by The Original Pancake House. The app can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play. 

ABOUT THE WILDCATS

Wayne State is 3-5 overall and 0-5 in the NSIC after falling to Winona State and Minnesota State last weekend. The Wildcats were selected to finish 10th in the NSIC Preseason Poll. 

Britney Ho is averaging 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game this season, both team-highs. Joining her in double figures was Jordon Heckert, as she averages 11.5 points per game.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

Southwest Minnesota State is 4-6 overall and 3-2 in the NSIC after defeating Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Duluth at home last weekend. The Mustangs were selected to finish fourth in the NSIC Preseason Poll. 

Bri Stoltzman is one of the best in the conference, averaging 19.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game. Sam Wall joins her in double digits, averaging 11.2 points per game, and has made 19 three pointers. 

UNSUNG HEROES

Over the weekend, the Vikings found contrubutions from many different players. Izzy Moore scored 10 points off the bench on 3 of 5 shooting, and Katie Leisen scored six points and grabbed four rebounds against Minnesota State on Friday. Against Winona State, Moore made her first career start, and Leisen scored eight points. Katelyn Diegnau grabbed three rebounds in her first collegiete action. 

GOING WITH THE FLO

First-year head coach, Jillian Flores Bennett, earned her first victory in the Elmen Center on Nov. 21 in a 73-56 win over Sioux Falls. Coach Flo is 21-17 as a head coach at a four-year institution after spending 2021-22 with Our Lady of the Lake, where she went 20-11. She spent last season with Iowa Western, where she accumulated a 26-5 record and region championship appearance. She will now make her first appearance in the Sanford Pentagon as a Viking this weekend.

NSIC STARS

In five NSIC conference games, Michaela Jewett and Lauren Sees have played at an extremely high level. Jewett is averaging 17.0 points per game, ranking seventh in the conference, and has knocked down an NSIC-high 14 from beyond the arc. Sees ranks eighth in the conference with 26.8 points per game on a 48.6 field goal percentage, seventh best in the conference. Sees has also dished 3.4 assists per game, sixth in the NSIC. 

JEWETT'S JUMP

After seeing a jump in her role as a sophomore last season, Michaela Jewett has cemented herself as one of the NSIC's best. She ranks first on the team and 58th in the country with 17.1 points per game. She leads the NSIC and is  27th in the country with 2.71 made three's per game while knocking them down at a 35.2 percent clip. 

SEES THE MOMENT

Entering her fifth season, Lauren Sees looks to make her mark. The fifth year guard from Avon, S.D., is second on the team with 13.4 points per game and is tied for the team lead with 20 total assists. After reaching the 1,000 career point milestone in the middle of last season, Sees has continued to climb up the Augustana rankings. She has now scored 1,362 points in her career, good for 16th in program history. 

THE AADLAND EFFECT

Jennifer Aadland has been a problem in the paint this season for opposing offenses. She leads the team with 1.57 blocks per game and is second the NSIC with 8.1 rebounds per game. She has recorded three double-doubles on the year. She is also the only player in the NSIC averaging at least 1.5 blocks per game and have three or more double-doubles. 

I'LL TAKE THAT

Kenzie Rensch's status as a game wrecker has stayed in tact, as her 2.00 steals per game ranks fourth in the NSIC. She has also continued as a steady facilitator, ranking ninth in the NSIC with a 2.00 assist/turnover ratio. She has now nabbed 191 steals in her 85 game Augustana career.  

MONEY MICHAELA CASHES IN

Michaela Jewett earned NSIC Shining 5 honors the weekend of Dec. 2-3 after a monster weekend for the Vikings. The senior was second in the NSIC with 10.0 rebounds per game and fourth with 22.5 points per game. She also made an NSIC-high eight three pointers, and was second with 4.0 three's per game. Her weekend opened with a 20 point, 12 rebound double-double against CSP on Saturday before adding 25 points and eight rebounds while knocking down five three pointers against No. 20 UMD on Sunday. 

LIGHTS OUT LAUREN

Lauren Sees looked in midseason form Dec. 2-3, leading the NSIC with 26.0 points and 5.0 assists per game. She scored 25 points on 10 of 20 shooting and nabbed a pair of steals at CSP before pouring in 27 points on 11 of 15 shooting at UMD. 

CONFERENCE OUTLOOK

The Augustana women's basketball team was selected to finish sixth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll and senior guard Lauren Sees was selected as the Vikings' Player to Watch.