SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana women's basketball team makes its 2023-24 Sanford Pentagon debut on Friday and Saturday with a pair of NSIC contests. On Friday, the Vikings host Minnesota State at 7:30 p.m. and Winona State at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
 
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 MAVERICKS

Minnesota State is 5-4 overall and 2-1 in the NSIC after sweeping Sioux Falls and SMSU at home last weekend. The Mavericks were selected to win the NSIC in the preseason poll. 

MSU is known for their swarming defensive pressure. They lead the NSIC and are top 10 nationally in steals per game (16.4), turnover margin (9.33), and turnovers forced per game (26.33). Joey Batt has scored 16.5 points per game and was selected as the NSIC preseason player of the year. 

ABOUT THE WARRIORS

Winona State is 1-6 overall and 1-2 in the NSIC after defeating SMSU and losing to Sioux Falls at home last weekend. The Warriors were selected to finish 12th in the NSIC Preseason Poll. 

Olivia Gamoke has averaged 10.9 points per game in seven games this season, while Emma Carpenter has added 10.1 points per game. 

MONEY MICHAELA CASHES IN

Michaela Jewett earned NSIC Shining 5 honors last weekend 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 this past weekend, 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. 

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 20-12 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 three NSIC conference games, Michaela Jewett and Lauren Sees have played at an extremely high level. Jewett is averaging 22.0 points per game, ranking second in the conference, and has knocked down an NSIC-high 11 from beyond the arc. Sees ranks fourth in the conference with 20.3 points per game, on an extremely efficient 58.1 field goal percentage, second best in the conference. 

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, second in the conference, and ninth in the country with 20.2 points per game. She leads the NSIC and is eighth in the country with 3.20 made three's per game while knocking them down at a 41.0 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 14.9 points per game and is tied for the team lead with 14 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 1,339 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 2.00 blocks per game and is fourth the NSIC with 7.8 rebounds per game. She has recorded a pair of double-doubles on the year. She is also the only player in the NSIC averaging at least two blocks per game 

I'LL TAKE THAT

Kenzie Rensch's status as a game wrecker has stayed in tact, as her 2.40 steals per game ranks fourth in the NSIC. She has also continued as a steady facilitator, ranking 38th in the country with a 3.00 assist/turnover ratio. She has now nabbed 189 steals in her 83 game Augustana career.  

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.