SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Augustana women's basketball team will put a lid on the 2023 calendar year, hosting Northwestern (Iowa) on Saturday afternoon inside the Elmen Center. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.
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.
LAST MEETING
This will be the second matchup since 1988, and first since 2007 when the Vikings knocked off the Red Raiders 80-64 at the Elmen Center.
ABOUT THE RED RAIDERS
Northwestern (Iowa) is 9-3 overall and are 5-2 in the GPAC. They last played Dec. 15, when they defeated No. 13 Dakota State 89-77 on the road. Their three losses have all been to ranked opponents. This will be their first game against an NCAA foe. The Red Raiders were selected to finish fifth in the GPAC, and are currently receiving votes in the NAIA National Coaches Poll.
Molly Schaney scores 18.4 points and grabs 7.5 rebounds per game and is one of the top players in the GPAC. Schaney does it all on 64.5 percent shooting from the field and 80 percent fromt he free throw line. She is one of three that averages double figures, with Hali Anderson averaging 13.9 points per game, and Maddie Jones adding 10.9 points per game. Freshman Emily TerWee is the reigning GPAC Player of the Week after tallying 28 points and 12 rebounds against Dakota State.
LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings dropped a heartbreaker, falling 67-63 to Northwest Missouri State on December 19. Lauren Sees led all scorers with 24 points on 8 of 13 shooting while grabbing five rebounds. She scored 15 of the 24 points in the fourth quarter. Michaela Jewett finished with 18 points on 7 of 12 shooting, including three three pointers. She grabbed six rebounds and dished a team-high four assists. Jennifer Aadland grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and added seven points.
BRILLIANCE BEYOND THE ARC
The Vikings have made at least one three pointer in every single game since the 1999-2000 season, totalling 722 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.
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 14.5 points per game and is tied for the team lead with 27 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 1,413 points in her career, good for 12th in program history.
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 16.2 points per game and 26 made three pointers. She also ranks second on the team with 7.0 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 39.2 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three, and 94.1 percent from the free throw line. She also leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game, 1.5 blocks per game, and three double-doubles while scoring 10.2 points per game.
I'LL TAKE THAT
Kenzie Rensch's status as a game wrecker has stayed in tact, as her 2.0 steals per game ranks in fourth in the NSIC. She has also continued as a steady facilitator, ranking 12th in the NSIC with a 1.80 assist/turnover ratio. She has now nabbed 198 steals in her 88 game Augustana career, the 13th most in program history.
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.
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