Box Score

RIPON, Wis. - Wednesday's game was a tale of two halves, as the defense was the highlight of the first period with Carroll taking a 27-26 lead into halftime. The second half was a different story however, with both teams shooting at least 58 percent from the field. In the end, Carroll shot the ball just a little better, converting 67 percent (16-24) of their shots and 71 percent (5-7) of their 3-pointers in the second half, en route to a 79-75 victory.

The game was tight throughout, but especially during the first period, which saw four ties and seven lead changes. The largest lead of the half came with just over eight minutes to play as Carroll (12-7, 9-5 MWC) took a five-point advantage on a jumper by Andrew Nottling. Ripon (11-7, 8-5 MWC) then went on a 12-5 run to take a two-point lead with under a minute left before the break, but a Kevin Hurd 3-pointer with just seconds remaining gave the Pioneers the halftime advantage.

Carroll didn't trail in the second half until the 15 minute mark when Ty Sabin gave the Red Hawks the lead. After Carroll went back in front, Sabin continued to keep Ripon alive, giving the Red Hawks another lead with one of his four second-half 3-pointers with under 14 minutes remaining. Carroll then used a 29-12 run to take a 15-point lead with three minutes to play, but Ripon wouldn't quit. Three Sabin 3-pointers and another by Ty Ketz whittled that lead to six with just under one and a half minutes on the clock. The Red Hawks were able to cut it to four on a tip-in by Brad Brooks with nine seconds left, but Carroll was able to dribble the remaining time off the clock to seal the victory.

Sabin finished the game with 23 points and career-highs of seven rebounds and six assists, while Kyle Loughrin added 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Like Sabin, Ketz made five 3-pointers in the game, including all three that he took in the second half, as he recorded 17 points, five rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

Carroll was led by Kevin Hurd's 21 points, five rebounds and four assists, as he made five of his six 3-point attempts. Andrew Nottling added 17 points and five assists, while Alec Molter posted 15 points and eight rebounds, while going over the 1,000 point mark for his career.

The loss drops Ripon into fourth place in the MWC standings, just one-half game behind Carroll. The Red Hawks will try to rebound on Saturday when they'll host Monmouth College on what will be Alumni Day. That game will begin at 1 p.m. and will be preceded by Ripon's women's and men's alumni games at 9 and 10:15 a.m., respectively.