The Benedictine University women's basketball team continues the conference schedule this week, with two road Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference games ahead. BenU will head to Aurora University for a Wednesday night matchup and to Concordia University Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.
 
Benedictine (1-5, 1-0) opened up NACC play with a 75-63 win on Saturday over Edgewood College. Despite shooting just 2-for-14 from outside, the Eagles finished at 45% from the floor (29-for-64). Starting posts Nicole Botich (18 points, eight rebounds) and Briana Hamilton (10 points) combined to go 13-for-15, while Vincenza Ranallo continued her strong offensive season with 16 points and five rebounds of her own. Meghan Novak added 13 points and nine assists, as she's contributed 20 assists over the last two games.
  
After the men's team hosts Aurora on Tuesday night, the women will start the 2014-2015 chapter of the rivalry on Wednesday. BenU has controlled the series in recent years, winning all six matchups in the Kristen Gillespie era by an average of 15 points. Aurora's last win in the series came back in the 2010-2011 season, defeating the Eagles 63-58 in Aurora. Against the Spartans, Novak is averaging 13.8 points in six career games, while Alanna Ferry has posted strong numbers in all four of her career matchups (averaging 6.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists). Vincenza Ranallo has also performed well against AU in the past, averaging 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the two games last season.
 
This season, the Spartans are off to a slow start. AU is still looking for its first win, as the team has dropped games to Beloit College, Wheaton College, Wittenberg University, North Park University, and Concordia-Wisconsin. The Spartans have lost the five matchups by an average of 35.8 points.
  
Traditionally one of the NACC's strongest teams, the Falcons figure to be a force in the conference once again this season. Concordia-Wisconsin won the NACC's first three Regular Season Championships, two of the first three NACC Tournament Championships, and finishing in the top half of the conference every season of the NACC's existence. The Falcons have beaten the Eagles seven consecutive times, with BenU's last victory coming in the 2009-2010 NACC Tournament. Vincenza Ranallo averaged 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds against the Falcons in last season's two losses, while Hamilton averaged 8.0 points.
 
Concordia-Wisconsin has played well to begin the season, as the team is off to a 3-1 start. The Falcons began the year with non-conference home wins over Augustana College and Beloit College before falling in the NACC opener at Concordia University Chicago on November 25. CUW rebounded with a 68-35 win over Aurora on Saturday.