RIPON, Wis. -- The Ripon College men's basketball team (0-6, 0-0 MWC) fell 84-56 in Wednesday's match up against the Carthage College Firebirds (3-2, 0-0 CCIW). Forward Jack Field (Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) led the Red Hawks in scoring for the game with 11. 

Things went awry for the Red Hawks early, as Carthage looked to implement their three-point and transition focused offense from the first possession on. The Firebirds secured a 21 point lead after the first 20 minutes of play, scoring 49 points on 56% shooting from the floor as a team, including 6-16 shooting from three point range. Ripon would struggle to find an offensive flow, shooting just 37% from the field while earning five fewer shots. 

The Red Hawks saw a disadvantage in the rebound battle throughout the proceedings, with Carthage grabbing 39 boards to the Red Hawks' 29. While both teams carried nearly even turnover counts for the contest (17 for Ripon and 16 for Carthage), the Red Hawks earned only 10 assists across the game with the visitors acquired 17 for a positive assist-turnover ratio. 

While shooting struggles plagued Ripon for most of the contest, guard Anton Kilde (Portage, Wis., Portage HS) joined Field in leading the Red Hawks in three point shooting, as both went 2-3 from behind the arc for the game. Ripon would shoot 30% as a team for the game, attempting 20 shots, while the Firebirds shot 36% for the game on 33 attempts. 

Ripon returns to action after Thanksgiving on the road against Beloit College for the first conference game of the season. The Buccaneers enter the game 3-4, coming off an 88-104 loss to Grinnell.