RIPON, Wisconsin – The Ripon women's basketball program led wire-to-wire in a 77-54 victory over Cornell on Tuesday night inside Weiske Gymnasium.
 
With the win, Ripon (18-4, 12-1 MWC) needs either a win Saturday or a Lawrence loss Wednesday or Saturday to clinch at least a share of its Midwest Conference record seventh consecutive title.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior forward Ella Ten Pas tied a game-high with 18 points, adding 13 rebounds and three steals. She was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
• Sophomore guard Laney Havlovitz chipped in 12 points, three rebounds, six assists and four steals.
• Freshman guard Halle Van Horn tallied 12 points and six rebounds.
• Junior guard Natalie Rauwolf scored seven points, adding two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• Freshman guard Karsyn Nelson contributed seven points, two assists and three steals.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Ripon scored the first five points of the game, but Cornell (12-9, 8-5 MWC) cut its deficit to 11-10 following a pair of made free throws halfway through the quarter. The Red Hawks followed with a 9-2 run, and the rout was on from there. Nelson connected on a jumper at the buzzer and Ripon led 22-13 after one.
 
In a dominant second quarter, Ripon scored the first four points and never looked back. Though the Rams made it a 26-17 game three minutes in, Ripon scored six of the next eight points to pull in front 32-19. The hosts put together an 8-0 run near the end of the frame and took a 40-22 advantage into half.
 
Cornell cut its deficit to 15 points multiple times in the third but would get no closer the rest of the game. A 5-0 Ripon run gave the hosts a 54-33 advantage, its biggest of the quarter. Ripon scored the final five points of the stanza – all at the charity stripe – to lead by a commanding 59-39 margin with one quarter to play.
 
The Red Hawks' lead was at least 20 for the entirety of the fourth. Up 61-41, Ripon fashioned together a 10-0 spurt to lead by 30 halfway through the quarter. A handful of three-pointers by Cornell in the final minutes brought the Rams within 23, but the guests would come no closer as the Red Hawks cruised to the 23-point win.
 
KEY STATS

• Ripon shot 28-of-60 from the field (46.7%) while limiting Cornell to 36.4% shooting (16-of-44).
• The Red Hawks had a 38-25 rebounding advantage and a 42-14 edge in paint points.
• Ripon was 16-of-21 from the free throw line, while the Rams only attempted 18 free throws.
• The Red Hawks turned 23 Cornell turnovers into 22 points.
• Ripon had twice as many second-chance points (14-7) and over four times as many fastbreak points (21-5).
• Erin Knowles tied a game-high with 18 points for Cornell.

UP NEXT
Ripon plays host to Monmouth on Saturday, February 15 for a 1 p.m. tipoff on Alumni Day.
 
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