WOOSTER, Ohio - Ripon's men's basketball team defeated Spalding (Ky.) University Friday night by a score of 75-66 in what was the first of the two-day tournament, hosted by The College of Wooster. Ripon never trailed in the game, while scoring 32 points in the paint.

The Red Hawks wasted no time putting points on the board, as Owen Theune connected on a jumper on the team's opening possession. Ripon scored the first seven points of the game, before building a double-digit lead just five and a half minutes into the contest. The Red Hawks built a 21-point lead mid-way through the half, before Spalding cut that lead to 16 at halftime.

Ripon would again take a 20-point lead in the second half on a David DeValk jumper. Spalding then scored the next eight points to cut the lead to 12, and would cut the lead to eight with nine minutes remaining. The Red Hawks answered by scoring the next 10 points to take an 18-point lead with six and a half minutes remaining, all but securing the victory.

Ripon (2-0) shot 44 percent (27-61) from the field, including 38 percent (8-21) from 3-point range. DeValk led the team in both scoring and rebounding, as he recorded the first double-double of his career with 15 points and 11 boards. Owen Theune added 13 points and six rebounds, while Ryan Steffes, Drew Jorgensen, and Jaylen Mahone finished with 12, 11, and 10 points, respectively, in the balanced attack.

After shooting just 39 percent (10-26) in the first half, Spalding shot 52 percent (14-27) after halftime. They were led by Troy Amanor, who scored a game-high 17 points, to go along with six rebounds. Tylan Mann and Christian Stewart added 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Ripon now advances to Saturday's Championship Game of the tournament against host school The College of Wooster. That game will begin at 6:30 p.m. Central Time in Wooster, Ohio, and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/wooster/.