RIPON, Wisconsin – The Ripon women's basketball program exacted a measure of revenge on Grinnell Saturday afternoon, defeating the Pioneers 50-47 inside Weiske Gymnasium behind a late rally with under a minute to play.
 
After Grinnell (11-7, 5-4 MWC) previously defeated Ripon (14-4, 8-1 MWC) by 13 back on January 8 in Iowa, the Red Hawks maintained sole possession of first place in the Midwest Conference standings on Saturday by winning their eighth consecutive home meeting with Grinnell dating back to 2017.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Sophomore guard Laney Havlovitz tied a game-high with 14 points, adding seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.
• Senior forward Ella Ten Pas added 10 points and nine rebounds.
• Junior guard Natalie Rauwolf tallied nine points and three rebounds.
• Freshman guard Halle Van Horn contributed eight points, five rebounds, two steals, two blocks and the go-ahead basket with 35 seconds remaining.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
In a low-scoring first quarter, Grinnell scored the first three points before Ripon countered with the next four. Holding Ripon scoreless for the final 4:26 of the frame, Grinnell scored the final five points of the quarter and led 10-6 after one.
 
The Pioneers opened up a 16-10 lead with 7:02 left in the half before Ripon went on a run. The Red Hawks scored the next 10 points, grabbing a 20-16 edge and keeping Grinnell scoreless for over six minutes. The Pioneers trimmed their deficit to two on multiple occasions, scoring the last basket of the half to trail 22-20 at the break.
 
Leading 27-25, Ripon went on a 6-0 run that took nearly the entire third quarter – after a pair of free throws by Havlovitz with five minutes remaining, neither team scored until Van Horn split a pair of free throws with 33 seconds to go. Grinnell hit a critical three at the end of the period, but the Red Hawks led 33-28 with one quarter to play.
 
The Pioneers carried momentum from the third into the fourth, opening the final stanza on an 8-0 run to lead 36-33 with 6:39 left in the game. Ripon tied the game with five and a half left on a McKenzie Bestor layup, but the Pioneers stayed in front in the ensuing moments. With under five minutes left and the Red Hawks down 43-39, Havlovitz made two free throws and Vanessa Solano hit a triple to put Ripon in front 44-43. The teams then went back and forth, and Grinnell led 47-46 with under two to play. Van Horn made the go-ahead basket with 35 seconds left and blocked Sara Booher's shot attempt on the other end. After Havlovitz made two more free throws, the Red Hawks forced a miss on Grinnell's final possession to secure the win.
 
KEY STATS

• Ripon shot 31.3% from the floor (15-of-48) and 50.0% in the fourth quarter, while Grinnell was 16-of-44 overall (36.4%).
• Grinnell made nine three-pointers, though Ripon was an impressive 17-of-22 from the free-throw line.
• The Red Hawks had twice as many points off turnovers as the Pioneers (12-6).
• Ripon turned Grinnell over 24 times.
• There were 11 lead changes and five ties in the game.
• Bailey Strovers led Grinnell with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

UP NEXT
Ripon begins a stretch of three consecutive games on the road next Saturday (February 1) as the Red Hawks visit Cornell for a 1 p.m. start.
 
FOLLOW
Follow Ripon College Red Hawks Athletics on Facebook and @RiponRedHawks on Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to riponredhawks.com for all information, releases and schedules.