OSHKOSH, Wisconsin – The Ripon women's basketball program hung tough with one of the best teams in the country on Monday afternoon, but the Red Hawks dropped a low-scoring 60-45 battle to Trine inside Oshkosh Arena as part of the BSN Winter Classic hosted by UW-Oshkosh.
 
Trine (9-2) – an NCAA Tournament team from a year ago that nearly upset consensus top-10 UW-Oshkosh just 24 hours ago – used a 12-0 run in the third quarter to overcome Ripon (7-3) in a game that featured four ties and six lead changes.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior forward Ella Ten Pas led all scorers with 17 points, adding eight rebounds and two steals.
• Sophomore guard Laney Havlovitz added 12 points, three steals and two rebounds.
• Freshman guard Halle Van Horn contributed six points and seven rebounds. She was a perfect 2-of-2 from both the field and the free throw line.
• Junior guard Natalie Rauwolf chipped in five points, three rebounds and three steals.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Trine scored the first basket of the game, but Ripon responded with the next four from the free throw line. The Red Hawks led by as many as four in the quarter before the Thunder rallied to lead 11-9 with under two minutes to play. Ripon scored the last three points of the stanza and led 12-11 after the opening 10 minutes.
 
The opposition regained the lead at the onset of the second quarter, scoring the first seven points while holding Ripon scoreless for over three minutes until a Havlovitz layup ended Ripon's drought. Another two-plus minute drought ensued for the Red Hawks, but Ripon closed the gap to 20-19 with five consecutive points. Four straight points pushed Trine's lead to five, and the Thunder led 24-20 at the break following a late Havlovitz free throw.
 
Ripon pulled in front by scoring the first five points of the quarter, though Trine scored the next 12 to reclaim a 36-25 edge as Ripon went without a basket for nearly seven minutes. Karsyn Nelson made a layup with 1:58 left in the frame to stop the skid and bring Ripon within single digits, but Trine scored the final five points of the quarter to lead 41-27 with one period to go.
 
Ten Pas scored the opening bucket of the final frame, but Trine responded with the next three as the Thunder pushed its lead to 15 (44-29). The Red Hawks would not go away, using an 8-0 run to creep within seven not even four minutes into the quarter. Out of a Trine timeout, the opposition scored five in a row to halt Ripon's momentum. Ripon was unable to get closer than 10 for the final 4:55 as Trine picked up the non-conference win.
 
KEY STATS

• Trine shot 24-of-52 (46.2%) from the field, holding Ripon to a season-low 27.9% output (12-of-43).
• The Red Hawks were 19-of-24 from the free throw line (79.2%) while Trine only had nine attempts from the charity stripe.
• Ripon had a 34-29 rebounding edge, though the Red Hawks committed 20 turnovers to Trine's 14.
• The Thunder had four players score in double figures, led by Erin Sherwood's 13 points.

UP NEXT
Ripon plays its third game in four days on Wednesday, January 1 as the Red Hawks welcome St. Norbert to Weiske Gymnasium for a 6 p.m. tip.
 
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