RIPON, Wis. - Ripon suffered their first conference loss of the season Wednesday night in a 62-53 defeat to conference unbeaten Beloit College. The Red Hawks turned the ball over 17 times in the game, leading to 14 Beloit points, while the Buccaneers committed just four turnovers. Both teams shot 36 percent in the game, as Beloit snapped a four-game losing streak against the Red Hawks.

Beloit (5-3, 3-0 MWC) came out hot, scoring the game's first eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers. After falling behind 12-4, Ripon began to settle in, scoring the game's next 11 points, taking a three-point lead on a Ryan Steffes 3-pointer mid-way through the half. That lead lasted until the three-minute mark when a Mason Jones 3-pointer gave Beloit a one-point advantage. After Ripon took a one-point lead in the final minute, Jones hit another three to give Beloit a 27-25 halftime lead.

The second half started much like the first, with Beloit's Dan Babb connecting on a 3-pointer on the opening possession. That was the beginning of a 21-11 run to start the half, giving the Buccaneers a 48-36 lead with under 11 minutes to play. Ripon then scored the game's next 10 points to cut that lead to two with six minutes remaining. Two minutes later, the Red Hawks tied the game at 49 on a three-point play by Steffes, but Ripon would never be able to take the lead in the final minutes. Jones connected on yet another 3-pointer with two minutes remaining to give Beloit a three-point lead, which helped them end the game on an 11-2 run.

Cal Schultz led Ripon with 15 points, in addition to six rebounds, while Trent Jones added 11 points and nine boards. Steffes finished with nine points, making 2-of-4 from 3-point range.

Beloit was led by Jones' 18 points off the bench, as he converted 5-of-8 shots, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Babb added 15 points, with three 3-pointers of his own, while Andrew Walters and Tristan Shoup scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Ripon will try to rebound on Saturday when they'll travel to St. Norbert College. That game will begin at 3 p.m. in De Pere, Wis., and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.