RIPON, Wisconsin – The Ripon men's basketball program led by 16 points at the half, weathered a desperate second-half charge by Carthage and upset the #18 Firebirds 76-71 on Wednesday night inside Weiske Gymnasium.
 
The win marks the first career victory for head coach Kenny Finco.
 
Carthage (2-1) went on a 9-0 spurt with 1:51 remaining in the game after trailing by 10, but Cade Tackmier followed with a 6-0 run by himself to give Ripon (1-2) a marquee win in the second week of the season.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior guard Cade Tackmier had a career and game-high 21 points on 60% shooting (6-10). He made all three of his three-point attempts, all six of his free throws and added 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a block.
• Junior guard Luke Meinholz, the reigning Midwest Conference Performer of the Week, tallied his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds on 60% shooting (6-10).
• Sophomore forward Kolby Williams logged 8 points and 9 rebounds in 33 minutes, impacting the game on both ends of the floor.
• Senior guard Dominic Galati came off the bench and sparked Ripon with 9 points to lead all non-starters.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Both teams felt each other out through the early stages, trading points in the early going. After AJ Johnson hit a three to give Carthage a 15-12 lead, Ripon went on a scintillating 12-0 run to lead 24-15 – a lead it would never relinquish. Another double-digit run – this time a 10-0 spurt – put the Red Hawks up 20 with 2:43 remaining in the first half after a layup by Williams. Ripon went into the locker room leading by 16 after Julian Campbell drilled a triple at the buzzer for the Firebirds.
 
Ripon came out of intermission on a 4-0 run to bring the lead to 20 at 50-30. Leading 55-36, the Firebirds slowly chipped away, climbing back into the game with an 11-0 run. With under eight minutes remaining in the game, Carthage would not go away. A 6-0 run trailing by nine brought the Firebirds within one possession – 63-60 – with 6:58 to go. On the next possession, Clark Cunningham hit a momentum-changing three as Ripon answered with a 7-0 run of its own. After a last-gasp 9-0 Carthage run, Tackmier salted the game away at the free throw line. The senior scored his last six points at the charity stripe to close the game out.
 
KEY STATS

• Ripon had a slight advantage in field goal percentage, shooting 46.7% while holding Carthage to 38.3% shooting – a season-best for the Red Hawks' defense.
• The Red Hawks got 27 bench points, while Carthage had 18.
• There were six lead changes and one tie, though all came in the first half as Ripon led for the entirety of the second half.
• Julian Campbell scored the first 12 points of the game for Carthage, finishing with 20 and 8 rebounds.

UP NEXT
Ripon heads back on the road for a matchup at undefeated UW-Superior on Saturday (November 18). Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
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