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Ripon College Athletics

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Women's Basketball

Ripon Starts Conference Season With A Win

Box Score

RIPON, Wis. - Ripon Head Coach Lauren Johnson earned her first career victory Saturday afternoon with a 57-54 victory over Monmouth College, but just as important, the Red Hawks earned a win in what was their first conference game of the season. The game featured 11 ties and 11 lead changes, but Ripon never trailed by more than two.

Ripon's largest lead of the first half came with three minutes left when Kacie Cullen converted a 3-pointer for an eight-point lead. That was part of a period that saw the Red Hawks (1-3, 1-0 MWC) shoot 46 percent (13-28), including 36 percent (4-11) from 3-point range. Jill VanEperen did all she could to make sure Ripon had the lead at halftime, scoring 16 of her 20 points in the opening period, as she made all six of her shots to give them a 35-30 advantage at the break.

The Red Hawks didn't trail in the second half until Monmouth (3-1, 0-1 MWC) ripped off 10 consecutive points to take a 52-51 lead on a free throw with two minutes remaining. After a Nicole Herkert tied the game, Monmouth took another lead on the ensuing possession thanks to a Kim Coleman basket. The game boiled down to free throws in the final minute, as Ripon made five of six shots from the charity stripe to hold on for the win as a last second Monmouth 3-pointer bounced off the backboard.

VanEperen's 20 points led the Red Hawks, as she also recorded 10 rebounds for her seventh career double-double. Cullen added 10 points, while Herkert added eight, to go along with six boards. Ripon made 6-of-20 (30 percent) from 3-point range, while Monmouth missed all 13 of their long-range shots.

The Fighting Scots were led by Marla Willard's 21 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots. Jacquice Cooper also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards. Coleman chipped in with nine points, four assists and four steals.

Ripon will try to build on this win, as they'll travel to Beloit College on Tuesday. That game will begin at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen live on http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/ripon.portal#.
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