RIPON, Wis. - One game after defeating the Midwest Conference's top team, the Red Hawks defeated the MWC's second-best team handily, earning an 83-54 victory over Monmouth College. Ripon out-rebounded the Fighting Scots 40-26, while outscoring them in the paint 38-18 and scoring 18 second chance points on the night.

Monmouth held a lead only a minute and a half early in the game when they held a 3-1 advantage. That lead vanished on a Ryan Steffes layup, and the Red Hawks would take the lead for good with 17 minutes left in the first half on a 3-pointer by Trent Jones. Ripon took their first double-digit lead of the night just five and a half minutes into the contest. They led by as many as 22 in the opening period, but Monmouth closed the half on a 15-6 run, giving Ripon a 13-point halftime lead.

Dee Hyler connected on a 3-pointer for Monmouth to begin the second half, cutting the lead to 10, but that's as close as the Fighting Scots would get the rest of the night. Ripon's largest lead of the contest came in the final minutes when a pair of Braeden Thies gave them a 29-point lead.

Jones led Ripon with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals, while Steffes scored 16 points. Seth Kostroski added eight points, while Jaylen Mahone scored seven off the bench, to go along with five rebounds (three offensive). The Red Hawks shot 48 percent (29-60) from the field, including 61 percent (17-28) in the first half.

Monmouth shot 40 percent (17-43) from the field, including 24 percent (5-21) in the second half. They were led by D.J. Swift's 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Hyler finished with 12 points, while Justin Batterton scored seven.

Ripon will try to keep things rolling as they go through the gauntlet of the MWC's top teams. The third-place Red Hawks will battle fourth-place Grinnell College Saturday at 1 p.m. at Willmore Center on what will be Ripon's annual Alumni Basketball Day. The men's Alumni Game will begin at 9 a.m. that morning.