STEVENS POINT, Wis. -- The Ripon men's basketball team (0-6, 0-0 MWC) fell to Bethany Lutheran (3-3, 0-0 UMAC) this Saturday, Nov 22, in the final round of the UW-Stevens Point Pre-Thanksgiving tournament. Guard Jarton Davis (Brown Deer, Wis., Brown Deer HS) would lead the Red Hawks in scoring with 11 points off the bench. 

Although Ripon found success matching their opponent on both sides of the ball in the first ten minutes, the close of the second half saw the Vikings earn a double-digit lead behind stronger shooting from the field. The Red Hawks would struggle with offensive efficiency across the first half, shooting 27.59% from the floor while going just 2-11 from behind the arc, while the Vikings would hit 44% of their attempts from the field. 

Facing an 11-point deficit after halftime, Ripon's shooting improved to 31% from the floor, but was not enough to overcome a similar uptick in shooting from their opponents. The Red Hawks also struggled on the glass, as the Vikings took down 11 more rebounds than Ripon for the game, with Bethany Lutheran taking the victory 73-55 as the final whistle sounded. 

The Red Hawks return to action this Wednesday, Nov 26, against Carthage. The Firebirds, ranked #8 nationally in this year's preseason poll, enters the game 2-1 at the time of writing, coming off a 66-78 loss to #21 ranked Maryville College.