Box Score

RIPON, Wis. - The Ripon women's basketball team sent their four seniors out on a positive note with a 54-42 victory over Illinois College in the team's 2012-13 home finale. The Red Hawks built a seven-point halftime lead thanks to shooting 38 percent (11-for-29) in the first half and led for the rest of the game.

The game was close early on with the lead changing hands eight times in the first 11 minutes. A Kacie Cullen 3-pointer gave Ripon (10-12, 9-8 MWC)  the lead with nine minutes left in the half, before Illinois College (6-15, 4-12 MWC) would tie the game on the ensuing possession. The Red Hawks then scored seven unanswered points, including a big three-point play by Jill Van Eperen, giving them the lead for good.

Ripon took their first double-digit lead five and a half minutes into the second half on a layup by Sia Gonyo. Illinois College would cut the lead back to nine with 12 and a half minutes to play, before Ripon broke the game wide open with an 11-1 run to take a 19-point advantage. The Lady Blues would get back to within eight with under a minute to play, but Ripon sank four-of-six free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.

The Red Hawks were led by Sia Gonyo's career-high 15 points in 23 minutes off the bench, as she made 5-of-9 shots from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go along with a team-best seven rebounds. Van Eperen added 16 points, five rebounds and one steal, moving her into a tie for second in school history for most single season steals.

Illinois College shot 29 percent (15-51) from the field, including 25 percent (6-24) in the second half. Hannah McGinnis led the way with 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots, while Brittney Burgess and Tiffany King each scored 10 points and combined for 14 rebounds.

Ripon will now finish their 2012-13 season on Tuesday at St. Norbert College, as they'll try to sweep the season series from SNC for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Tuesday's game will begin at 5 p.m. in DePere, Wis. and can be seen live on http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/ripon.portal#.