RIPON, Wis. -- The Ripon College men's basketball team (2-7, 2-0 MWC) secured their second conference win over the hosting Cornell College Rams (0-8, 0-2 MWC) this Saturday, Dec 6. Forward Michael Asman (Kimberly, Wis., Kimberly HS) led all players in scoring with 15, including 3-4 shooting from behind the arc. 

Focusing on strong perimeter defense and limiting turnovers, Ripon was able to hold Cornell scoreless nearly four minutes to start the game. The Rams would find some openings as the half progressed, taking a 12-11 lead with 7 minutes left to play in the first, before a three from guard CJ Brown (Minneapolis, Minn., Minneapolis North Area HS) gave the Red Hawks a lead they would preserve for the rest of the contest. 

Up 29-23 coming out off halftime, Ripon would continue to focus on limiting open looks, holding Cornell to 32.1% shooting from the field and jsut 16.1% shooting from deep. Despite the defense they faced, Cornell found success in the rebounding battle, earning 41 for the game compared to the Red Hawks' 32, helping them break Ripon's lead down to just 1 point after six minutes of second half action. The Red Hawks responded to the change in fortune immediately, with Asman hitting a pair of threes before guard Sam Leoni (Hartland, Wis., Arrowhead HS) hit one more unanswered deep ball to put Ripon up double digits. Cornell continued to try to push their perimeter-based offense, coming up short as time expired on a 62-53 Ripon victory. Ripon's defensive success on the perimeter was helped by a 4 steal performance from guard Seth Bunders (Wauzeka, Wis., Wauzeka-Steuben HS), while Brown led the Red Hawks offense with 5 assists on only 2 turnovers. 

The Red Hawks return to action this Saturday, Dec 13 against Grinnell College. The Pioneers enter the game 5-2 this season at the time of writing, coming off a 94-75 win over Cornell.