SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana women's basketball team hits the road for NSIC Tournament action, traveling to Marshall, Minnesota for a first round matchup against No. 5-seeded Southwest Minnesota State. The Vikings are the No. 12 seed in the NSIC Tournament. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 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.
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Southwest Minnesota State closed the regular season with a 17-11 overall record and 15-7 record in the NSIC. The Mustangs split last weekend, defeating Minot State and losing to MSU Moorhead. SMSU is 5-5 in their last 10 games following a 10 game win-streak in the middle of the season.
Bri Stoltzman is the straw that stirs the drink for SMSU. The junior is among the NSIC's best and leads the team with 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. Senior Sam Wall is deadly from deep, leading the NSIC with 80 made 3-pointers and holds the top two single-season marks in SMSU history.
CONFERENCE COMPETITORS
Multiple contributers find themselves near the top of conference-only statistics following the completion of the regular season. Lauren Sees and Michaela Jewett are 11th and 12th in scoring with 14.8 and 14.1 points per game, respectfully. Jennifer Aadland is second in rebounding (8.3 rpg), defensive rebounding (6.4 rpg), and double-doubles (eight). Aby Phipps is third in the conference with 2.4 offensive rebounds per game, while Aadland is in sixth with 2.0. Jewett knocked down 2.0 3-pointers per NSIC contest and 45 total 3-pointers, both the second most in the conference.
CLEANING THE GLASS
The Vikings have earned key contributions from Jennifer Aadland, Michaela Jewett, and Aby Phipps in their efforts on the boards this season. Aadland ranks second in the NSIC in rebounds per game (8.3), tied for second in defensive rebounds per game (6.4), and tied for second in total rebounds (216). Jewett ranks sixth in defensive rebounds per game (5.8) and seventh in rebounds per game (6.8), while Phipps finds herself tied for second among conference challengers in offensive rebounds (2.3). The Vikings are the only team in the NSIC to have a player in the top three for both offensive and defensive rebounds per game.
POURING IT IN
Michaela Jewett sits ninth in the NSIC with 14.7 points per game while Lauren Sees ranks tied for 11th with 14.6 points per game. The 29.3 combined points per game is the fifth most by a duo in the NSIC among tandems with at least 25 games played each. They are also one of two sets of teammates to rank in the top 11 of the NSIC. Jewett has gotten it done from deep, ranking second in the NSIC with 2.2 3-pointers per game and third with 56 total 3-pointers.
MILESTONE TRACKER
The Vikings have a trio that is inching their was towards the top of the program record books. Jennifer Aadland currently holds the program record for career free throw percentage at 86.7 percent. She also has 109 career blocks, good for 10th in program history. Kenzie Rensch has been a thief in her time with AU, racking up 216 career steals, and is a steal away from 10th on the all-time steals list. Lauren Sees is seventh on the all-time scoring list with 1,648 points and is sixth in career starts with 108. She is one of three players in program history to score at least 1,600 points and start at least 100 games.
BRILLIANCE BEYOND THE ARC
The Vikings have made at least one three pointer in every single game since the 1999-2000 season, totaling 738 consecutive games with a make. In the same time frame, Augustana has made at least 10 three pointers in 178 games, including four times this season.
SEES THE MOMENT
In her final season, Lauren Sees continues to climb the ranks in Augustana history. The fifth year guard from Avon, S.D., is second on the team with 14.6 points per game and leads the team with 2.4 assists per game. 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 1,648 points in her career, good for seventh in program history. That number is also good for 23rd among active career leaders in all of DII and is 20th with 605 made field goals.
BALL SECURITY
A common theme among the 2023-24 Vikings is their protection of offensive possessions. Augustana ranks 29th in the nation and second in the NSIC in fewest turnovers per game, coughing it up just 13.6 times per game. Two major reasons why are Kenzie Rensch and CJ Adamson. Both rank in the top ten in the conference in assist/turnover ratio, with Adamson averaging 1.93 and Rensch adding 1.67.
SOMETHING TO WATCH
The Vikings are 4-4 when shooting more free throws than the opposing team and have knocked down at least eight 3-pointers in six of their seven wins on the season. The defense has held opposing offenses under 50 percent shooting from the field in 24 of 26 games this season, and have out-rebounded the opposition 15 times on the year.
JEWETT'S JUMP
After seeing a jump in her role last season, Michaela Jewett has cemented herself as one of the NSIC's best. She leads the team with 14.7 points per game and 56 made 3-pointers. She also ranks second on the team with 6.8 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 41.8 percent from the field, 37.8 percent from three, and 87.5 percent from the free throw line. She also leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game, 1.3 blocks per game, and eight double-doubles while scoring 11.2 points per game.
FUTURE VIKINGS
Augustana head coach Jillian Flores Bennett has added three future Vikings as part of the 2024 signing class. On National Signing Day, Olivia Kesti of Blaine, Minn., and Avery Yosten of Norfolk, Neb., signed their National Letter of Intent. Earlier this month, the class added Isabella Sanneh of Woodbury, Minn.
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 25-23 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.
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