RIPON, Wis. - The Ripon women's basketball team turned in a true team effort Tuesday night, defeating Beloit College 71-68. Ten of the 11 players that entered the game for the Red Hawks scored at least one point, while Ripon's bench outscored Beloit's reserves 28-6.

The first quarter was back-and-forth with three ties and four lead changes with Ripon taking a 13-12 lead into the second quarter. Beloit took the lead in the opening minutes of the second period on a 3-pointer by Lana Wieseman, but Ripon scored the game's next seven points to take a lead that they would never relinquish.

After taking an eight-point lead at the half, Ripon continued to be aggressive in the third quarter. Megan Jensen and Emma McDonald connected on 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to begin the period, pushing the Red Hawks' lead to 14 points. Beloit then went on a 13-3 run to cut the lead to four, before Ripon ended the period on a 12-5 run, giving them an 11-point advantage entering the final quarter.

With just under eight minutes to play, Ripon still led by 11, but Beloit made one final push, going on a 15-6 run to cut the lead to two with three minutes remaining. Ripon then answered with jumpers by Laurissa Johnson and Nicole Herkert and would hit two of four free throws in the final minute to hold on for the three-point victory.
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Ripon (4-2, 2-2 MWC) was led by McDonald's 13 points and seven rebounds, while Maggie Oimoen added 10 points and six rebounds off the bench. Jonalee Elliott chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds, while Eleanore Mueller recorded career-highs of seven points, five rebounds and three assists. The Red Hawks saw eight players score at least five points, while the team also out-rebounded the Buccaneers 44-25, with 14 of Ripon's rebounds coming on the offensive glass.

Laura Panicali led Beloit (3-4, 2-2 MWC) with 25 points, while Wieseman added 19 points and Shelby Kline scored 14, to go along with three steals.

The Red Hawks will try to keep their momentum going on Saturday when they'll travel to Illinois College. That game will begin at 3 p.m. in Jacksonville, Ill. and can be seen live at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.