RIPON, Wisconsin – Putting a bow on one of the most dominant regular seasons in school history, the Ripon women's basketball program defeated Lawrence 68-54 inside Weiske Gymnasium in a Midwest Conference Tournament tune-up for both teams.
 
Dominant is putting it lightly in regards to how Ripon (21-4, 15-1 MWC) went about its business in 2024-25 – across 16 Midwest Conference games this season, Ripon's scoring margin was +23.3 while just two of the 15 wins were decided by single digits. The Red Hawks had 10 wins of at least 20 points en route to a perfect 10-0 home regular season record. In the last six full seasons, the Red Hawks have won at least 15 league games four times.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior forward Ella Ten Pas led all scorers with 19 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals. She is now tied for the school record in career double-doubles (23).
• Junior guard Natalie Rauwolf tallied 11 points, three rebounds and two steals.
• Freshman guard Karsyn Nelson scored seven points to go along with three rebounds and three assists.
• Sophomore guard Laney Havlovitz contributed six points, two rebounds and four assists.
• Senior guard/forward Bree Miller added six points on a pair of made three-pointers.
• Freshman guard Halle Van Horn scored just five points but grabbed 10 rebounds.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Both sides traded blows early, but Ripon led for the entirety of the quarter. The Red Hawks' biggest lead in the first few minutes was four, held several times. After Lawrence (18-7, 12-4 MWC) trimmed its deficit to 15-14 with 1:05 left in the quarter, Van Horn hit a triple and Rauwolf made a layup at the buzzer to give Ripon a 20-14 edge after 10 minutes.
 
Neither team scored for the first three minutes of the second quarter, but Ripon opened the frame on a 5-0 spurt to grab an 11-point advantage. The lead grew to 30-16 on a Rauwolf triple with 4:08 to go, but the Vikings would not go away. Lawrence ended the quarter on a 7-2 run – holding Ripon scoreless for the final 3:32 – but the hosts led 32-23 at half.
 
Lawrence quickly cut its deficit to five out of the break by scoring six of the first eight points. However, Anna Fahrney scored the next four points to buoy Ripon's lead. Rauwolf made a layup halfway through the period to give the Red Hawks a 43-32 lead, but a mini 5-0 run by the visitors kept them within striking distance. Leading 46-41, Ripon scored the next five points to go in front by double digits – and the Red Hawks took a 51-43 lead into the fourth.
 
Ripon's first basket of the fourth came at the 8:03 mark on a layup by Nelson, starting an 8-0 run to push the lead to 14 (59-45). The Vikings were held scoreless for nearly seven minutes in the fourth as Ripon kept the defensive pressure on. Lawrence scored seven of the last 11 points in the game, but Ripon's lead was double digits for the final 5:20 en route to the win.
 
KEY STATS

• Ripon shot 25-of-47 from the field (53.2%) while Lawrence was just 38.5% from the floor (20-of-52).
• The Red Hawks made twice as many three-pointers as their opponent (6 to 3).
• Ripon dominated the boards with a 38-25 rebounding advantage.
• In the fourth quarter, Lawrence shot 4-of-15 from the floor (26.7%).
• Charlotte Brennan and Kate Adams each led Lawrence with 12 points apiece.

UP NEXT
Ripon hosts the Midwest Conference Tournament on Friday and Saturday (February 28-March 1). As the top seed, the Red Hawks take on fourth-seeded Cornell at 5 p.m. this upcoming Friday.
 
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