WHITEWATER, Wisconsin – The Ripon women's basketball program opened its 2023-24 campaign with a ranked, road test on Wednesday as the Red Hawks fell 79-55 to #9 UW-Whitewater inside Williams Arena.
 
A suffocating Whitewater (3-0) defense held Ripon (0-1) to 7 of 22 shooting in the first half (31.8). The Warhawks opened up a 19-point halftime lead en route to the win.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior forward Bonnie Jensen had a team-high 12 points and 5 rebounds, shooting 4 of 6 from the floor and hitting all four free throws.
• In her collegiate debut, freshman guard Laney Havlovitz tallied 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
• Junior forward Ella Ten Pas, making her Ripon debut, contributed 6 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Ripon missed its first five shots of the game as UWW opened on a 10-0 run before Abby Hartmann drained a free throw for Ripon's first points of the season. After Bree Miller hit a jumper with 2:35 left in the quarter, Whitewater held a commanding lead for the remainder of the quarter on the strength of 10 Red Hawk turnovers in the first 10 minutes of action.
 
The Warhawks kept the pressure on in the second quarter to the tune of a 7-0 run in the first minute and a half. Whitewater went on another 7-0 spurt midway through the frame and grew its lead to 19 at the half.
 
The second half was all Whitewater, as the Warhawks led by as many as 26 in the third and fourth quarters. Havlovitz hit a jumper with 7:29 remaining in the fourth quarter to trim the deficit to 19, but an ensuing 6-0 Warhawk run put the game out of reach.
 
KEY STATS

• Whitewater had a 27-3 advantage in points off turnovers.
• The Warhawks shot 50.7% from the floor, holding Ripon to 40.4% shooting.
• Whitewater had nearly twice as many points in the paint as Ripon (52-28).
• Ripon had 20 turnovers while forcing 11 on Whitewater.

UP NEXT
Ripon stays on the road this weekend against another WIAC opponent as the Red Hawks visit UW-La Crosse on Saturday (November 18) at 4 p.m.
 
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