OSHKOSH, Wisconsin – The Ripon women's basketball program showed no signs of rust following a ten day Christmas layoff, easily defeating Marian 83-47 on Sunday afternoon inside Oshkosh Arena.
 
In the opening game of the annual BSN Winter Classic hosted by UW-Oshkosh, Ripon (7-2) and Marian (3-6) battled to a 16-16 tie after the first quarter before the Red Hawks outscored the Sabres 67-31 over the final 30 minutes.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior forward Ella Ten Pas led all scorers with 16 points and 14 rebounds, adding three steals and two assists for her sixth double-double of the season.
• Sophomore guard Laney Havlovitz contributed 11 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
• Junior guard Natalie Rauwolf chipped in seven points, seven rebounds and two assists.
• Junior guard McKenzie Bestor added six points, seven rebounds and two assists off the bench.
• Freshman guard Halle Van Horn tallied six points, five rebounds and four blocks.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Ripon started strong on Sunday, opening the game on a 9-3 run over the first three-plus minutes of play. However, Marian pushed back with a 10-2 run that gave the Sabres a 13-11 advantage. Ripon briefly regained the lead at the end of the quarter, but a late basket for Marian tied the game at 16 following the first period.
 
The Red Hawks took control at the onset of the second quarter, scoring 10 of the first 12 points of the stanza to claim a 26-18 edge halfway through the quarter. The Sabres cut their deficit to five at 28-23, but Ripon scored the next seven points to grab a double-digit lead – one it would not relinquish. Marian's last made field goal of the half came at the 4:15 mark and Ripon took a 37-24 advantage into the break.
 
Ripon kept the momentum going in the second half as the Red Hawks scored the first six points in a 30-second span. The teams traded baskets from there, though a critical 7-0 spurt by the Red Hawks pushed their lead to 23 at 54-31. Ripon led by at least 19 for the remainder of the stanza and was in front 61-36 with 10 minutes yet to play.
 
With the outcome firmly in hand, Ripon controlled the onset of the fourth quarter with the first 11 points as Marian was kept off the scoreboard for the first 5:33. For the rest of the game, Ripon's lead was at least 33 points and the Red Hawks cruised to their fourth consecutive victory.
 
KEY STATS

• Ripon shot 47.2% from the field on Sunday (34-of-72) and was north of 50.0% in the second and fourth quarters.
• The Red Hawks dominated the glass, out-rebounding Marian 54-26.
• Ripon had a 39-17 edge in bench points while scoring 56 points in the paint.
• The Red Hawks accrued 24 points off turnovers and 31 second-chance points.
• Chelsea King led Marian with 10 points.

UP NEXT
Ripon has a quick turnaround, facing Trine on Monday, December 30 inside Oshkosh Arena at noon.
 
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