MARQUETTE, Michigan – The Ripon men's basketball program fell 95-37 to Northern Michigan on Saturday afternoon in an exhibition against the Division-II school at the Berry Events Center.
 
Northern Michigan led wire-to-wire and started the game on a 29-9 run en route to the win in the second-ever meeting between the schools. Ripon upset the Wildcats, 80-75, back in 2019.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior guard William Ryan scored a team-high 9 points on 50.0% shooting (4-of-8). He added 2 rebounds, a block and a steal.
• Senior guard Connor Spielvogel scored 6 points on a pair of three-pointers.
• Senior guard Dominic Galati had 5 points, adding 2 rebounds, an assist and a steal.
• Senior guard Cade Tackmier netted 4 points, 3 boards and 2 assists.
• Freshman guard/forward Buchanan Huss also tallied 4 points.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Ryan got the Red Hawks on the board over a minute in, but Ripon was held scoreless for the next three minutes until Clark Cunningham ended the drought. Northern Michigan raced out to an eventual 20-5 lead in the first 10 minutes as Ripon started the game just 2-of-16 from the field. NMU's largest lead of the half was 20 with under four minutes remaining and the Wildcats took a 14-point advantage into halftime after Ripon ended the frame on a 10-4 spurt over the last 3 minutes and 49 seconds.
 
NMU kept the pressure on in the second half, starting the final stanza with a 20-3 run over the first four minutes. The Wildcats continued to keep the Red Hawks at bay for the remainder of the afternoon, holding a lead of at least 28 points for the rest of the game. Huss hit a free throw with 8:25 left in the game to stop a Ripon scoring drought of nearly four minutes, but NMU controlled the rest of the game to secure the victory.
 
KEY STATS

• Northern Michigan shot a scorching 63.3% (38-of-60) from the field, holding Ripon to just 21.3% shooting (13-of-61).
• The Wildcats controlled the glass, totaling 46 rebounds to Ripon's 27.
• Turnovers were nearly identical, as Ripon forced 12 NMU turnovers and turned the ball over 15 times itself.
• In total, 21 different Red Hawks saw the floor.
• Carson Smith scored a game-high 16 points for NMU, while three other Wildcats scored in double figures.

UP NEXT
Ripon jumps back into Midwest Conference action on Thursday (January 4) as the Red Hawks host Grinnell at 5:30 p.m.
 
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