MONMOUTH, Ill. - Trailing by as many as 20 points in the second half, Ripon nearly pulled off a remarkable victory Saturday afternoon at Monmouth, cutting that lead to four in the final minutes. In the end, they couldn't get over the hump, losing to the Fighting Scots, 63-53.

Monmouth (6-9, 5-5 MWC) got off to a quick start, scoring the game's first six points. They would lead by as many as 19 points in the opening half, but a 3-pointer by McKenzie Banasik and a Nicole Herkert basket cut Monmouth's lead to 38-24 at the half. Ripon (1-14, 1-9 MWC) shot just 29 percent (9-31) in the first 20 minutes, while Monmouth converted 47 percent (21-53) of their first half points, leading to the 14-point advantage.

The Fighting Scots scored the first five points of the second period, helping them to extend their lead to 20 with just under 17 minutes remaining. Ripon answered with 11 consecutive points, cutting the lead to single digits on a run that was keyed by seven points from Maddie Koster. The lead was whittled down to four with four minutes left to play on a jumper by Chelsea Moldenhauer, but that's as close as Ripon would get the rest of the way. Monmouth converted four of their final six free throws to secure the victory.

Ripon was led by 12 points from both Herkert and Megan Jensen. Koster added nine points and six rebounds off the bench, while also recording a game-high four steals. The Red Hawks shot 19 percent (5-26) from 3-point range on the day.

Kelsey Walsberg led Monmouth with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Kathleen Forrest added 14 points, while Paige Nord chipped in with 11 points and team-highs of nine rebounds (four offensive) and three assists. The Fighting Scots made 39 percent (5-13) of their 3-pointers.

The Red Hawks will hope to avoid tying the program's school record for consecutive losses (13) Wednesday night when they'll host Lawrence University. Ripon defeated the Vikings 41-40 earlier this season in Appleton. Wednesday's game will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Ripon.

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