RIPON, Wisconsin – Natalie Rauwolf of the Ripon women's basketball program scored a career-high 23 points and the Red Hawks exacted revenge on Lawrence from six days ago, defeating the Vikings 62-46 on Friday night inside Weiske Gymnasium to punch their ticket to their fifth-consecutive MWC Tournament final.
 
For the first time since December 10, 2021, Ripon (18-8) held an opponent without a made three-pointer. Lawrence (15-11) was 0-6 from deep as the Red Hawks clamped down defensively to limit the Vikings to five or fewer made field goals in three of the four quarters on Friday.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Sophomore guard Natalie Rauwolf tallied a game and career-high 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor. She made a quartet of three-pointers and seven of eight free throws, adding 5 rebounds and 3 steals in the process.
• Freshman guard Laney Havlovitz continued her strong play against Lawrence this season. A week after setting a career-high against the Vikings, the freshman poured in 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go along with 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.
• Senior forward Bonnie Jensen contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. She was 6-of-8 from the charity stripe and also earned 3 assists and 2 steals.
• Junior forward Ella Ten Pas just missed another double-double with 8 points and 10 rebounds. She made all six of her free-throw attempts and had 4 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Ripon started the game on a 6-0 run, and after four Lawrence points, went on a 7-0 spurt to lead 13-4 halfway through the opening quarter. The lead bounced between seven and nine for the remainder of the frame; the teams traded baskets at the end of the quarter and Ripon was up 17-10 after the first 10 minutes of play.
 
Five straight points for Ripon to open the second gave the hosts a 22-10 lead, their biggest of the game until Havlovitz had a fastbreak layup to put Ripon in front 27-14 with 6:05 left in the half. Defense ruled the second 10-minute stretch – after Havlovitz's bucket, the Red Hawks went scoreless for the final six minutes of the first half. However, Lawrence only cut its deficit to 10 as the Vikings made just one field goal in the final seven and a half minutes of the second quarter. Ripon led 27-17 at the half after neither team scored for the final 2:10 of the period.
 
The Red Hawks started the second half strong, scoring five in a row to lead 32-17 as Lawrence went without a made field goal until the 4:36 mark of the third quarter. A 16-point Ripon cushion was whittled down to just nine (36-27) with under two minutes to go. However, Ripon scored the final four points of the quarter and led 40-27 with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
 
Though the teams traded baskets at the onset of the fourth, the outcome was never in doubt. Ripon pushed its lead to 20 on multiple occasions and the Vikings never came closer than 14 the rest of the way. The Red Hawks scored their final seven points of the game at the free throw line – going without a field goal for the final 4:39 – but continued to lock down defensively to preserve the double-digit win.
 
KEY STATS

• In a tough shooting night for both squads, Ripon was 17-of-43 from the floor (39.5%) and Lawrence was 19-of-51 (37.3%).
• The Red Hawks made 22 of 26 free throw attempts – the Vikings were just 8-of-12 from the charity stripe.
• Ripon controlled the boards, grabbing 31 rebounds to Lawrence's 17.
• Each team had 20+ turnovers – Ripon coughed it up 26 times while the Vikings had 21 turnovers.
• Mallory Meyer and Charlotte Brennan each led Lawrence with 11 points.

UP NEXT
Ripon faces second-seeded Knox in the Midwest Conference Tournament final tomorrow (February 24) at 3 p.m. with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
 
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