KENOSHA, Wisconsin – The Ripon men's basketball program couldn't catch Carthage in the second half on Tuesday night and fell 76-66 to the Firebirds inside Tarble Arena.
 
Ripon (2-3) was unable to overcome a Carthage (3-2) squad that shot 50.0% from the field in the first half and went on a 12-0 run to open the second half, though four Red Hawks scored in double figures for the first time this season.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior guard/forward Luke Meinholz tied a game-high with 17 points, going 7-of-14 from the field. He added seven rebounds and three steals.
• Senior guard Cade Tackmier added 15 points – including 10 in the first half – to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
• Senior guard Dominic Galati tallied 10 points and three rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Jarton Davis had a similar stat line to Galati, recording 10 points and three rebounds off the bench.
• Senior forward Cameron Ford scored just six points, but grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds off the bench.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
The first half was close throughout, as the biggest lead on either side in the opening moments was two until six consecutive points for Ripon gave the visitors a 10-6 lead. Carthage tied it up soon after and claimed a 15-14 advantage with under 11 minutes left in the half on a deep three-pointer. Three consecutive triples put the Firebirds in front 24-18 with 8:10 left in the half for their biggest lead to date. Ripon continued to battle, but eight consecutive points pushed the hosts' lead to 39-28. The Red Hawks scored five of the last six first half points and trailed 40-33 at the break.
 
Carthage scored the first 12 points of the second half, extending its advantage to 19 while holding Ripon without a basket for almost five minutes until a Tackmier three stopped the skid. The Red Hawks made it a 12-point game at 57-45 following five straight points, and a 9-1 run moments later shrunk the Firebirds' lead to nine at 63-54. Back-to-back three-pointers got Ripon within striking distance at 69-62, but Carthage kept the Red Hawks at bay for the final two-plus minutes to secure the win.
 
KEY STATS

• Carthage had a 46.7% (28-60) to 39.4% (26-66) edge in field goal percentage.
• The Firebirds were 11-of-23 (47.8%) from three-point range, while Ripon was 5-of-21 (23.8%) from beyond the arc.
• Ripon committed less than 10 turnovers for the second consecutive game, turning the ball over nine times on Tuesday night.
• There were six ties and five lead changes throughout the night.
• AJ Williams led Carthage with 17 points and eight rebounds.

UP NEXT
Ripon returns home on Saturday (November 30) as the Red Hawks take on UW-Superior at 3 p.m. This game will follow the Ripon women's basketball matchup against Carroll at 1 p.m.
 
FOLLOW
Follow Ripon College Red Hawks Athletics on Facebook and @RiponRedHawks on Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to riponredhawks.com for all information, releases and schedules.