RIPON, Wisconsin – The Ripon women's basketball program used a 25-point fourth quarter to rally and defeat #13/21 Carroll 71-62 on Saturday afternoon inside Weiske Gymnasium for the Red Hawks best win of the young season.
 
Ripon (4-2) trailed by as many as seven in the second half but would not be deterred in the final stanza. Limiting Carroll (4-3) to 6-of-17 shooting in the fourth – and 0-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc – the Red Hawks shot north of 72% in the third quarter and over 57% in the fourth stanza to secure a ranked victory in their home opener. Ripon outscored the Pioneers by 11 in the last period.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Sophomore guard Laney Havlovitz led all scorers with 14 points, also recording five assists and four rebounds.
• Freshman guard Karsyn Nelson tallied 13 points, four steals, three assists and two rebounds.
• Senior forward Ella Ten Pas notched her third-straight double-double, and fourth of the season, with 12 points and 10 rebounds. She also had three assists and two steals.
• Junior guard Natalie Rauwolf contributed 12 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, including a trio of made three-pointers. She also had four rebounds.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Ripon started out strong on Saturday, scoring the first seven points in less than two minutes. However, the Pioneers answered with seven of their own to tie things up. Ripon used another 7-0 spurt to lead by a touchdown with 2:52 left in the quarter, though Carroll again responded with seven unanswered as the teams were tied at 14 heading into the second quarter.
 
Carroll grabbed a six-point lead in the first four minutes of the second quarter, going on a 9-3 run. However, a layup by Bree Miller whittled the deficit down to 23-21 with 2:54 to go. The Pioneers again led by six in the late stages of the half, but a critical three by Anna Fahrney made Ripon's deficit just two at 29-27 with 20 minutes yet to play.
 
Carroll kept the pressure on in the third, leading for all but eight seconds in the stanza. The visitors led by as many as seven following a layup nearly three minutes in, but a 6-0 Ripon run tied the game at 41 with 2:28 left in the period. The lead for Carroll never got bigger than three the rest of the quarter, and a Ten Pas free throw brought Ripon within two at 48-46 heading into the fourth.
 
An Emilie Wizner layup gave Carroll a 51-49 edge with 8:42 left in the game, but a triple by Havlovitz put Ripon in front for the first time since the opening quarter. Carroll's last lead was 53-52 before Ripon roared in front with a 13-2 run spanning nearly three minutes to go up 65-55. Ripon's largest lead came at 68-57 following a pair of Ten Pas free throws, and the Red Hawks scored their final six points of the game at the charity stripe to secure the victory.
 
KEY STATS

• Ripon shot a scorching 54.0% from the field (27-of-50) while Carroll was just 24-of-60 (40.0%).
• The Red Hawks made nine three-pointers, allowing just three made triples by the Pioneers.
• Ripon outrebounded the visitors 38-28.
• Olivia Rangel led Carroll with 13 points.

UP NEXT
Ripon opens Midwest Conference action next Saturday, December 7 with a 1 p.m. tipoff at Illinois College.
 
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