APPLETON, Wis. - Ripon's women's basketball team defeated Lawrence 65-54 Saturday afternoon, giving them their 26th consecutive win against the Vikings. One of the top defenses in the Midwest Conference, the Red Hawks held Lawrence to just 30 percent (16-54) shooting. Ripon's bench outscored Lawrence's reserves 35-12, while also outscoring the Vikings in the paint by a 46-16 margin.

Ripon (16-5, 12-2 MWC) led for all but a few minutes, scoring the final nine points of the first quarter to take a 16-7 lead into the second period. Lawrence (5-16, 2-12 MWC) hung tough however, outscoring Ripon 19-14 in that frame to head into halftime trailing by just four points.

The Red Hawks came out hot in the second half, scoring the first eight points to build a double digit lead that they would hold for the remainder of the contest. Ripon outscored Lawrence 22-8 in the third quarter, taking a 52-34 lead into the final frame, before coasting to victory.

Skyylar Brescia led the Red Hawks with 14 points in 10 minutes off the bench. Megan Dille added nine points and a career-high 11 rebounds (five offensive), while freshmen Bonnie Jensen and Alison Leslie each scored eight points.

Lawrence was led by Kenya Earl's 17 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and three steals. Delaney Brooks added 11 points off the bench, while Shonell Benjamin narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.

With the win, the Red Hawks remain in a first-place tie with Monmouth atop the MWC standings. Ripon will be in action again on Wednesday when they'll host Cornell College. That game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Willmore Center, and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.