RIPON, Wis. - Ripon lost their fifth consecutive game Saturday, falling to Illinois College, 60-45. The Red Hawks kept things close for much of the day, trailing by just eight at halftime, but IC shot 55 percent (11-20) from the floor in the second half to pull away.

The first half featured six ties and four lead changes, with Ripon's largest lead of five coming with 14 minutes left in the period. That prompted a 22-9 run by Illinois College to end the half. 

Ripon (1-7, 1-4 MWC) could only pull within three during the second half, which saw Illinois College (5-3, 3-1 MWC) take their largest lead of 18 with seven minutes remaining.

The Lady Blues scored 10 points on fast breaks, while outscoring the Red Hawks 32-14 in the paint. IC also scored 25 points off 21 Ripon turnovers.

The Red Hawks were led by 11 points from McKenzie Banasik, who converted 3-of-6 shots from behind the 3-point line. Nicole Herkert added eight points and six rebounds, while Jonalee Elliott chipped in with eight points and seven boards off the bench. Ripon finished the game shooting 35 percent (18-52) from the field.

Hannah McGinnis led Illinois College with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Jill Friedrich added 14 points and four boards. The Lady Blues finished with a shooting perentage of .435 (20-46).

Ripon will try to get back on the winning track on December 20 against UW-Platteville. That game will begin at 1 p.m. in Ripon and can be seen at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.