APPLETON, Wisconsin – The Ripon men's basketball program rallied from an eight-point second half deficit for the second consecutive game, using key free throws down the stretch to extinguish Lawrence 63-61 inside Alexander Gymnasium for the Red Hawks' 23rd consecutive victory over the Vikings.
 
Slowly whittling away at a five-point deficit with three minutes left, Ripon (7-10, 4-4 MWC) got the go-ahead jumper from Luke Meinholz with 37 seconds remaining to end the game on a 7-0 run, squeaking out the close win over rival Lawrence (4-13, 2-6 MWC).
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior guard Cade Tackmier led Ripon with 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
• Senior guard/forward Luke Meinholz scored 11 points, including the game-winner, to go along with two rebounds, four assists and two steals.
• Freshman forward Michael Asman contributed 10 points off the bench – all in the first half – to go along with three rebounds.
• Senior guard Dominic Galati tallied 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• Junior forward Kolby Williams added 10 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Ripon started strong out of the gates, scoring the first four points of the contest, but Lawrence scored the next five. The sides exchanged the lead from there, and Ripon was sparked by 10 points from Asman to go in front 20-13 with nine minutes remaining in the half following a 7-0 run. The Vikings pushed back with six in a row of their own, closing the gap to 20-19 with 6:16 remaining. In the following moments, Lawrence went on a 5-0 run and Ripon went on a 4-0 run as the biggest lead in the final eight minutes on either side was four. Galati hit a pair of triples to end the half and Ripon led 32-30 at the break.
 
Ripon kept Lawrence at arms length in the opening minutes of half two as neither team was able to gain separation. The Red Hawks led by five nearly three minutes in, but Lawrence continued to push and a 7-0 spurt by the hosts gave them a 44-41 edge with under 13 minutes remaining. While the Red Hawks endured a nearly nine-minute stretch without a made field goal, the Vikings extended their lead out to eight (52-44) on an 8-0 spurt. Ripon shaved its deficit to four on multiple occasions soon after, and a fastbreak layup by Tackmier got Ripon within two at 56-54 with 4:27 to go. Trailing 61-56, five consecutive made free throws by Ripon tied the game and off of an offensive rebound, Meinholz connected on a jumper for the lead with 37 seconds left.  On the ensuing Lawrence possession, the Vikings got three chances to tie or take the lead but could not convert, giving Ripon the win.
 
KEY STATS

• Ripon had a 42.4% to 40.3% edge in shooting percentage, while both teams shot 39% from the field in the second half.
• The Red Hawks were 8-of-14 from the free throw line, with all eight makes coming in the second half.
• Ripon had a 40-34 rebounding edge and had 15 second-chance points.
• Wednesday's game featured seven ties and 14 lead changes.
• Nicholas Gouriotis led all scorers with 17 points for Lawrence.

UP NEXT
Ripon hosts Grinnell on Saturday, January 25 at 3 p.m. before embarking on a three-game road trip.
 
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