GRINNELL, Iowa - Ripon's women's basketball team suffered their first conference loss of the season Saturday afternoon, falling to Grinnell College by a score of 65-58. In a game that featured five ties and six lead changes, neither team led by more than seven points.

Ripon (8-9, 7-1 MWC) took a two-point lead into the second quarter, before taking their largest lead of five mid-way through that period on a layup by Bella Opelt. Grinnell then ended the half on an 11-5 run to take a one-point advantage into halftime.

The lead would change hands four times in the third quarter, before Grinnell (6-9, 3-5 MWC) took control of the contest with a seven-point lead midway through the period. They would take a five-point advantage into the final quarter, but back-to-back baskets by Ripon's Bonnie Jensen and Skyylar Brescia cut that lead to a single point with seven minutes to play. Trailing by three with the ball and one minute remaining, Ripon didn't score again, as Grinnell scored the final four points of the contest to seal the victory.

The Red Hawks shot 40 percent (25-63) from the field. They were led by Brescia's 14 points and nine rebounds, while Alison Leslie posted 13 points. Jensen added 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists.

Grinnell's bench outscored Ripon 21-4 in the game, while the Pioneers made 43 percent (25-58) of their shots. They were led by Erin Lillis' 20 points, while Nicole Ware added 14 points. Aiyana Rockwell added 12 points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.

Ripon will now try to rebound on January 29 when they'll host Cornell College on what will be Ripon's annual Alumni Basketball Day. That game will begin at 3 p.m., and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.