SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana women’s basketball team hits the road for the first time in its NSIC schedule on Saturday and Sunday. Dates and times were modified due to the NCAA Division II Volleyball Regional, hosted by Concordia St. Paul
The Vikings will take on the Golden Bears on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Bulldogs on Sunday at 4 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 GOLDEN BEARS
Concordia-St. Paul is 5-1 on the season following a win over Michigan Tech on Tuesday. CSP is 1-0 in NSIC play after defeating Winona State on a buzzer beater last Tuesday. The Golden Bears were selected to finish seventh in the NSIC.
Ally Gietzel leads the Golden Bears with 16.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Lindsey Becher is averaging 15.5 points per game and is 16th in the country with 13 blocks. Leah Dengerud leads the team with 18 assists and 13 steals.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Minnesota Duluth is 4-1 overall on the year after defeating Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan at home last weekend. They’re also 1-0 in NSIC action after defeating Minnesota State on the road last week. UMD dominated a season ago, making it all the way to the NCAA DII National Championship game. The Bulldogs were selected to finish second in the NSIC.
Taytum Rhoades does it all for the Bulldogs, leading the team with 14.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Taya Hakamaki is second on the team with 12.8 points and 3.2 assists per game while grabbing 5.0 rebounds per game
LAST TIME OUT IN NSIC ACTION
In the home debut of Jillian Flores Bennett, Michaela Jewett poured in 21 points to help lead the Vikings to a 73-56 victory over Sioux Falls. Jewett went 8 of 13 from the field and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc while scoring 19 of her 21 points in the second half. Jennifer Aadland recorded her second consecutive double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while blocking three shots. Kenzie Rensch snagged four steals to lead a ferocious Viking defense that held the Cougars to 38.2 percent shooting from the field and 29.4 percent shooting beyond the arc.
EARLY SEASON LEADERS
Three game into the year, the Vikings find themselves scattered throughout the national statistics. Kenzie Rensch is 15th in the country and second in the conference with a 5.0 assist/turnover ratio. She also ranks 24th in the country with 3.33 steals per game. Jennifer Aadland ranks 19th in the country with 2.33 blocks per game and leads the conference with 9.0 rebounds per game. Michaela Jewett has led the way offensively and ranks 38th in the country with 18.7 points per game.
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.
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 Vikings with 18.7 points per game while shooting 34.8 percent from beyond the arc. She also leads the team with 3.0 assists per game, and is second with 1.33 blocks per game.
THE AADLAND EFFECT
Jennifer Aadland has carried productivity over from last season and is a forceful forward for the Vikings. She leads the team with 2.33 blocks per game and leads the NSIC with 9.0 rebounds per game. She has recorded a pair of double-doubles on the year.
I’LL TAKE THAT
Kenzie Rensch’s status as a game wrecker has stayed in tact, as her 3.33 steals per game ranks second in the NSIC and 24th in the country. She has also continued as a steady facilitator, ranking 15th in the country with a 5.00 assist/turnover ratio. She has now nabbed 188 steals in her Augustana career.
IT’S MILLER TIME
Last week, Johanna Miller made her second and third career starts for the Vikings. On Tuesday, she scored seven points and grabbed seven boards in a victory over USF. She followed it up with a career-high 12 points on 6 of 9 shooting on Saturday.
SEES THE MOMENT
Entering her fifth season, Lauren Sees looks to make her mark. The fifth year guard from Avon, S.D., averaged 14.9 points and 2.8 assists per game last season, both leading all returners. Sees was at her best in conference play, as her 16.1 points per game in NSIC action ranks first among conference returners. She is a three-time All-NSIC performer, including first team All-NSIC last season.
GET AHEAD, STAY AHEAD
In 2022-23, Augustana went 21-2 when leading at the half. This, in part, was due to their stability with the ball, as they ranked 27th in the country and third in the NSIC with a 1.10 assist/turnover ratio.
MILESTONE TRACKER
Lauren Sees reached 1,000 career points last season on New Year’s Eve at Wayne State. She currently ranks 21st all-time with 1,287 career points, and is just 10 points from cracking the top 20.
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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