Benedictine University women's basketball is on one of its best runs in recent memory, winning six straight games to give the team a perfect 6-0 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference record. This week, the Eagles will play two key NACC contests against the two teams occupying the spots below BenU in the standings: Wisconsin Lutheran College and Concordia University Wisconsin.
 
BenU (6-5, 6-0) earned its sixth win on Saturday, defeating Marian University 63-50 after 17 days off from competition. BenU held Marian to just 20 points in the first half and outrebounded the Sabres 47-37 for the entire game (including 24 offensive rebounds). The Eagles earned the victory despite shooting just 33.8%, as BenU attempted 17 more shots than Marian (65 for BenU, 48 for Marian). Meghan Novak led all scorers with 23 points, while Vincenza Ranallo recorded her first double-double of the season (12 points, 10 rebounds).
  
Benedictine heads north to Milwaukee on Tuesday night to oppose NACC powerhouse Wisconsin Lutheran. The Warriors have won the last four NACC Regular Season and Tournament Championships, compiling a 69-4 conference record over those seasons. Wisconsin Lutheran was unanimously picked to win this year's NACC in the preseason conference poll.
 
Lutheran is led by reigning NACC Defensive Player of the Year and, All-Region Third Teamer, and All-Conference First Teamer Kristen Schultz. After a strong junior season, Schultz has emerged as a strong candidate for NACC Player of the Year, averaging 19.1 points (second in NACC), 14.4 rebounds (first in NACC), and 3.6 blocks (first in NACC) while shooting 53.1% from the field (seventh in NACC). She's recorded a double-double in nine out of 10 games this season, with the only exception being the December 16 win over Marian (Schultz only played five minutes).
 
The Eagles have lost nine consecutive meetings against the Warriors, with three of those losses coming in the NACC Tournament. Last season, the Eagles fell 65-51 in Milwaukee and 74-65 in Lisle. Lutheran used a big second half to win in Milwaukee, overcoming a 34-28 BenU halftime lead and 14 points from Briana Hamilton. In Lisle, Benedictine fell despite 16 points and seven rebounds, as Schultz tallied 27 points and 15 rebounds for Wisconsin Lutheran.
  
Benedictine returns to the Dan and Ada Rice Center on Saturday to take on the Falcons of Concordia-Wisconsin. CUW trails only BenU and Wisconsin Lutheran in the conference standings and is currently on a five-game winning streak. Concordia-Wisconsin has always been one of the NACC's top teams, winning the conference'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.
 
Concordia-Wisconsin's defense has been stout over its five-game winning streak, allowing an average of 48 points over the five games and holding opponents to just 33.2% shooting. On the season, the Falcons rank second in the NACC defensively in points per game allowed (55.2) and three-point field goal percentage (27.7%) while ranking fourth in overall shooting percentage (37.6%).
 
The Eagles already took down the Falcons once this season, winning in Mequon 74-62 on December 6 behind double-digit scoring performances from Meghan Novak (17 points) and Vincenza Ranallo (15 points). Prior to the victory this season, the Eagles hadn't beaten CUW since the 2009-2010 season, defeating the Falcons in the semifinals of the NACC Tournament 53-50 in Mequon.