COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Ripon's men's basketball team fell to third-ranked Saint John's (Minn.) 87-75 Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Division-III Tournament. Saint John's used their size to control the game, outscoring Ripon 18-0 on second chance points and out-rebounding the Red Hawks 40-23. Ripon cut a 23-point halftime deficit to nine late in the second half, but time ran out on the season.

Saint John's (26-2) shot 59 percent (16-27) from the field in the first half, including 64 percent (9-14) from 3-point range, while Ripon (20-8) shot 39 percent (9-23) in the half, missing all three of their 3-pointers. Ripon's only lead of the contest came early in the first half when Trent Jones hit a jumper to give the Red Hawks a 6-5 advantage. Saint John's answered with a layup on the ensuing possession to grab the lead right back. The score would remain close until the eight minute mark when Saint John's converted a 3-pointer, which began a 24-5 run to end the half, giving the Johnnies a 45-22 lead at intermission.

Ripon's shooters came to life in the second half, which saw the Red Hawks make 55 percent (17-31) of their shots, including 56 percent (9-16) of their 3-pointers, while Saint John's made just 17 percent (2-12) of their 3-pointers after halftime. The Johnnies took a 30-point lead with 17 minutes remaining, but Ripon cut that lead to 18 on a pair of Trent Jones free throws with nine minutes to play. After the two teams traded baskets for the next few minutes, Ripon's press caused problems for SJU, as the Red Hawks scored 10 consecutive points to cut the lead to 10 with one and a half minutes remaining. They would cut the lead to nine later in the half on a steal and layup by Ryan Steffes with one minute to play, but Saint John's converted 6-of-8 free throws in the final minute to preserve the victory.

Jones led Ripon with a career-high 31 points in his final game with the Red Hawks, giving him 560 for the season, which is the 10th-highest total in program history. Fellow senior Seth Kostroski scored 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range, while Sophomore Jaylen Mahone added 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting off the bench, to go along with three rebounds. Steffes finished with seven steals on the night.

Saint John's saw all five starters score in double figures. They were led by Colton Codute's 20 points and six rebounds, while Oakley Baker added 16 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Kyle Sorenson and Jubie Alade scored 15 and 14 points, respectively, while Zach Hanson recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds (four offensive).

Ripon's season ends with a 20-8 record, which is tied for the sixth-most single season wins in program history. With 2,174 points on the year, the Red Hawks established a new school record, while finishing tied for second in rebounds (1,028), second in 3-pointers (202), third in blocks (99), eighth in field goal percentage (.510), and 10th in steals (196).