The Ripon College Women's Basketball's magical run will continue for at least one more week. After winning the Midwest Conference Tournament last weekend to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Red Hawks on Monday were selected to travel to Saint Paul, Minn. to play third-ranked University of St. Thomas (MN) in Friday's first round game at 8 p.m. The game will be played at St. Thomas' Schoenekcer Arena.

Ripon, which won the MWC with a record of 19-8 (16-2 MWC), is making the program's fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament, and first under sixth-year head coach Lauren Busalacchi. Their 19 wins are tied for the fifth-most in program history. The Red Hawks are riding a  season-long nine-game winning streak into Friday's first round game, and have won 16 of their last 17 contests, only losing one game since December 11.

The MWC's top defensive team, Ripon ranks 31st in Division-III in scoring defesne, allowing just 52.9 points per game. They are also 39th in field goal percentage defense (.336), while ranking fifth in the country in 3-point percentage defense (.235). They have allowed 57 points or less in every game during their current nine-game winning streak, which is tied for the third-longest win streak in program history.

The Red Hawks will battle a St. Thomas team that is ranked third in the latest Division-III poll and has lost just one game all season (26-1). This will be the Tommies' 26th trip to the NCAA Tournament after they secured their eighth consecutive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championship over the weekend. They enter Friday's game with a 16-game winning streak, with their only loss of the season coming at Wartburg, who is ranked 15th in Division-III. St. Thomas is 13-0 at home this season.

The Tommies are the top 3-point shooting team in the country, making 39.9 percent of their shots from behind the arc, while ranking second in overall field goal percentage (.503). They also are 10th in both scoring defense (49.1 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.321), while ranking 23rd in scoring (75.3 ppg).

The winner of Friday's game will play the winner of Friday's Illinois Wesleyan/Wisconsin Lutheran game on Saturday at 7 p.m.