SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana women's basketball team closes its 2023 road slate in Maryville, Missouri. They take on Northwest Missouri State at 1:30 p.m., on Tuesday afternoon. 

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 BEARCATS

Northwest Missouri State is 9-2 overall and 4-2 in the MIAA after dropping a close contest to Washburn and defeating Emporia State in overtime. The Bearcats are 2-0 against NSIC foes this season, and were selected to finish sixth/seventh in the MIAA Preseason Media and Coaches Polls. 

Molly Hartnett leads Northwest with 13.2 points per game, while Caely Kesten adds 10.7 points per game. Kelsy Fields has split time between starting and coming off the bench and averages 9.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. 

The Bearcats are shooting 76 percent from the free throw line, ranking them second in the MIAA. Hartnett claims the top spot in the category shooting 92.1 percent from the free-throw line.

Kelsey Fields is third int he MIIA with 3.6 offensive rebounds a game and ranks 42nd nationally.

Jayna Green averages 1.82 blocks per game. Green's total blocks (20) rank second in the MIAA and 24th across all Div. II. As a team, Northwest sits third in the MIAA and 51st in the nation in blocks per contest.

LAST TIME OUT

The Vikings had a trio average double-digit points in a pair of games last week. Jennider Aadland averaged 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while going 7 of 7 from the free throw line. Lauren Sees scored 13.5 points per game and shot 10 fo 20 from the field, and Michaela Jewett scored 12.0 points and grabbed 5.5 rebounds per game. Sees also continued her climb up the program history leaderboards, moving into a tie for 12th place on the all-time scoring list with 1389 points.

BRILLIANCE BEYOND THE ARC

The Vikings have made at least one three pointer in every single game since the 1999-2000 season, totalling 721 consecutive games with a make. In the same time frame, Augustana has made at least 10 three pointers in 176 games, including twice this season.

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 nine NSIC conference games, Michaela Jewett and Lauren Sees have played at an extremely high level. Sees is averaing 15.9 points per game, eighth in the conference, while Jewett slots right behind her in eighth, scoring 15.6 points per game. Jennifer Aadland has grabbed 7.7 rebounds per game, tied for fourth, and Michaela Jewett is sixth with 7.6 rpg. Sees has also scored efficiently, ranking fifth with a .489 field goal percentage. Jewett leads the NSIC with 18 made threes and 2.6 threes per game. 

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 leads the team with 16.0 points per game and 23 made three pointers. She also ranks second on the team with 7.1 rebounds per game. 
 

THE AADLAND EFFECT

Jennifer Aadland has been one of the most efficient shooters in the NSIC while causing havoc in the paint. She has shot 41.4 percent from the field, 45.0 percent from three, and 93.3 percent from the free throw line. She also leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game and three double-doubles while scoring 10.6 points per game. 

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 25 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 1,389 points in her career, good for a tie in 12th in program history. 

I'LL TAKE THAT

Kenzie Rensch's status as a game wrecker has stayed in tact, as her 1.9 steals per game ranksin a tie for fifth 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 194 steals in her 87 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.