RIPON, Wisconsin – The Ripon men's basketball program could not withstand a hot-shooting Beloit squad on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Buccaneers 65-44 inside Weiske Gymnasium.
Beloit (6-6, 2-2 MWC) enjoyed multiple double-digit scoring runs in the first half, leading by 19 at halftime en route to a third consecutive victory over Ripon (4-8, 1-2 MWC).
STANDOUT HAWKS
- Junior forward Kolby Williams scored a team-high nine points, adding four rebounds.
- Senior guard/forward Matt Murphy added a career-high eight points in seven minutes, also contributing two rebounds.
- Senior guard Cade Tackmier netted six points and five rebounds.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
Ripon took an early 10-4 lead following consecutive three-pointers, and led 12-6 before a 10-0 Beloit run flipped the first half on its head. From there, Beloit seized control with a barrage of three-pointers, making seven total in the first half. Leading by three, a 9-0 Bucs run pushed the visitor's advantage to 28-16. Moments later, Beloit scored 13 points in a row to take a 41-19 advantage for its biggest lead of the half.
Seth Bunders ended the four-minute drought with a three, but the Red Hawks headed into the locker room down 41-22.
Williams converted an old-fashioned three-point play to open the second half, but 16 would be the closest Ripon got the rest of the afternoon. Up 43-27, Beloit scored the next eight points to grab a 24-point advantage. Murphy went on a 6-0 run of his own in the final minutes, but the Bucs led by at least 21 for the final 17 minutes en route to the road victory.
KEY STATS
- Beloit was 21-of-54 (38.9%) from the floor and shot 52.2% from the field in the first half.
- Ripon had a slight 21-20 edge in bench points.
- The Red Hawks forced 17 Beloit turnovers.
- Beloit had a 50-38 rebounding advantage.
- Four Buccaneers scored in double figures, led by a game-high 16 points from Dae'Quan Davis.
UP NEXT
Ripon heads to Grinnell on Wednesday, January 8 for a 7:30 p.m. start against the Pioneers.
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