RIPON, Wis. - Ripon's women's basketball team proved they belonged on the same court as one of the top teams in the Midwest Conference for the first 20 minutes of Wednesday's game, as they went into halftime trailing Carroll University by just eight points. After the break, Carroll showed why they have the MWC's second-best record, holding Ripon to 16 second half points in a 52-36 win over the Red Hawks.,Turnovers proved to be the difference in the game yet again, as Carroll turned 36 Ripon miscues into 25 points.

Carroll (8-3, 5-1 MWC) never trailed, but led by single digits for the entirety of the first half. After falling behind by five mid-way through the period, Ripon (1-11, 1-6 MWC) cut the Pioneers' lead to one on a pair of Nicole Herkert free throws with seven and a half minutes left before halftime. That was followed by seven consecutive Carroll points to give them some breathing room heading into the locker room.

The second half began with another 7-0 run by the Pioneers, which opened a 15-point lead, as Ripon didn't score until four minutes into the period. Carroll led by as many as 25 in the half to coast to victory. Carroll shot 35 percent (18-51) in the game, while Ripon converted 33 percent (16-49) of their field goals.

Mikayla Hartman led the Red Hawks with a career-high eight points off the bench, while Herkert,scored seven, to go along with five rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot. Emma McDonald chipped in with four points and five rebounds, while also blocking four shots.

Carroll was led by Breann Maryanski's 14 points, four rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. Corrine Engels added 11 points and a game-high six assists, while also recording three steals. The Pioneers finished the game with 28 steals, including a game-high seven from Julia Piech.

Ripon will try to end their losing streak Saturday when they'll travel to Grinnell College. That game will begin at 1 p.m. in Grinnell, Iowa and can be seen live at,http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.

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