Box Score
RIPON, Wis. - After trailing by just one point at halftime of Friday night's season opening game against UW-Superior, the Red Hawks were outscored by eight in the second half, as they fell to the Yellowjackets, 69-60, on the first day of the two-day Ripon College Tournament. The Red Hawks didn't help their cause, turning the ball over 22 times, including 13 in the second half, as 24 of UW-Superior's 69 points came off turnovers.
Things looked good early on for the Red Hawks (0-1), as they took an early five-point lead on baskets by Jill Van Eperen and Erin Lind. That lead only lasted a minute, but the score remained close, with Ripon grabbing a two-point advantage with under five minutes to play on a jumper by Chelsea Sorbo. The Yellowjackets (1-0) would take the lead back in the final minutes, but Sia Gonyo gave the Red Hawks hope going into intermission, as she connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer to pull Ripon within a single point.
The second half saw UW-Superior come out clicking on all cylinders. They scored 11 points in the first three and a half minutes of the period before Ripon made a basket. Leading by as many as 16, the Yellowjackets held a double-digit lead for much of the half, but Ripon showed glimpses of a late comeback, cutting the lead to seven with four and a half minutes remaining on a jumper by Lind. That would be as close as Ripon would get however, losing their season opener for the second consecutive season.
Erin Lind led the Red Hawks with her 10th career double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, to go along with four assists, two blocked shots and two steals. Jill Van Eperen was the game's leading scorer with 15 points, while adding seven rebounds and six assists. Chelsea Sorbo also scored in double figures with a career-high 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Ripon made 42.6 percent (23-54) of their shots, but made just 15 percent (3-20) of their 3-pointers.
UW-Superior received a balanced scoring attack, led by Deandra Vavra and Kristen Nett, who each finished with 13 points. Sally Lindzmeier added 10 points, while Connie Urmanski and Hillary Peterson chipped in with nine and eight points, respectively. The Yellowjackets converted 43.9 percent (25-57) of their shots, including 77.8 percent (7-9) of their 3-pointers.
The Red Hawks will now play Saturday at 1 p.m. against Benedictine University, which lost to University of Chicago 59-45 in Friday's other game. That contest will be followed by the Tournament Championship Game between UW-Superior and Univ. of Chicago at 3 p.m.
