RIPON, Wis. - Just two weeks after losing by four points at Illinois College, Ripon's men's basketball team redeemed themselves with a convincing 91-64 victory against that same Blueboys team. The Red Hawks shot 59 percent (36-for-61) from the field, including 56 percent (9-for-16) from 3-point range, while also converting 83 percent (10-for-12) from the free throw line.

After trading baskets in the opening minutes, Ripon (9-6, 5-3 MWC) took control of the game in the opening half thanks to a 14-3 run, which gave them a 14-point lead with eight minutes left in the period. Illinois College (4-11, 2-6 MWC) cut that lead to nine later in the half, but the Red Hawks scored the next 12 points to take a 45-24 lead, en route to a 17-point advantage at halftime.

Ripon led by double digits for the entirety of the second half, leading by as many as 28 on a 3-pointer by Seth Kostroski with five minutes to play. The highlight of the second half came at the free throw line where senior Trent Jones became the 32nd player in the 121-year history of Ripon's men's basketball program to score 1,000 career points.

Jones finished the night with a game-high 18 points, giving him 1,002 for his career, which currently ranks 31st in program history. The Dodgeville, Wis. product also recorded team-highs of seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Ryan Steffes added 14 points and three assists, while Kostroski, Jaylen Mahone, and Justin Bartol each scored 12 points.

Illinois College shot just 38 percent (21-for-56) from the field in the game. The Blueboys were led by Tre Rogers and Benton Singleton, both of whom finished with 10 points.

Ripon now sits in a fourth-place tie in the MWC standings. They'll be in action again Tuesday when they'll host Beloit College. That game will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Willmore Center, and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.