GRINNELL, Iowa - Ripon's women's basketball team made their presence felt Wednesday night, outscoring Grinnell in the paint by a 40-20 margin, en route to a 62-51 win over the Pioneers. The Red Hawks also outscored Grinnell in second chance points by a 17-2 margin, while winning the rebounding battle 42-28, which included 17 offensive boards.

The two teams played evenly in the first half with neither squad leading by more than six points. Grinnell (4-6, 1-4 MWC) took a 14-12 lead into the second quarter, but Ripon (6-5, 4-1 MWC) tied the game on their initial possession of the second period. Emma McDonald gave the Red Hawks a three-point lead one minute later when she connected on a shot from behind the arc. Grinnell answered with six consecutive points to grab the lead back. The Pioneers ended the half on a 16-7 run to take a six-point lead into intermission.

Grinnell extended their lead to eight early in the third quarter, before Ripon began clicking on all cylinders. The Red Hawks used a 15-4 run during the next six and a half minutes to take a three point advantage. After the lead changed hands once more, a Jonalee Elliott basket tied the score at 41 just before the fourth and final quarter.

In that final period, Ripon used a 9-0 run to take a nine-point lead with five and a half minutes to play. Grinnell would pull within seven in the final minute, but that's as close as they'd get, as Ripon outscored Grinnell 21-10 in the fourth quarter.

Maggie Oimoen led Ripon with 14 points, while Eleanore Mueller and McDonald each finished with 11 points. Elliott also filled up the box score with eight points, nine rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots, and three steals. After shooting 34 percent (11-32) in the first half, Ripon made 46 percent (13-28) of their second half points.

Grinnell was led by 18 points and four rebounds from Kayla Morrissey. Regan Kasprak added 13 points, while Hanna Kessel finished with 10 points. The Pioneers were held to 29 percent (7-24) shooting in the second half after shooting 48 percent (12-25) in the first half.

With the win, Ripon remains in a first-place tie atop the Midwest Conference with Lake Forest, which pays the Red Hawks a visit on Saturday. That game will begin at 3 p.m. at Weiske Gymnasium in Ripon, and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.