MENOMONIE, Wisconsin – The most successful season in the history of the Ripon women's basketball program came to an end on Friday night as the Red Hawks fell to #22/RV UW-Stout 87-57 inside Johnson Fieldhouse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite the loss, Ripon had a record-breaking year. The Red Hawks set a new Midwest Conference record with their seventh consecutive regular season title, and also hosted the MWC Tournament for the seventh season in a row. Ripon set a new school record for consecutive home wins (15), tied a school record for consecutive wins (14) and set a new school record for single-season wins (23).
STANDOUT HAWKS
- Senior forward Ella Ten Pas wrapped up her career as a Red Hawk with 16 points, 19 rebounds, four steals and three blocks for her 25th double-double as a Red Hawk.
- Sophomore guard Laney Havlovitz added 12 points and two assists.
- Freshman guard Karsyn Nelson fouled out but scored eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, adding two assists and two steals.
- Junior guard Natalie Rauwolf contributed six points and two rebounds.
PLAY-BY-PLAY
UW-Stout (20-7) struck first, scoring the first nine points as Ripon (23-5) was held scoreless for the opening three minutes until Nelson broke the seal with a layup. The Blue Devils' lead grew to 15 in the frame as Ripon committed nine turnovers in the opening 10 minutes. The Red Hawks scored four consecutive points to end the frame but trailed 19-8 after one quarter.
Ripon made a run at the beginning of the second, cutting its deficit to single digits at 21-12. However, the Blue Devils responded and pushed their lead to 13 moments later. The Red Hawks were outside single digits for the final 7:53, largely in part to a 5-of-18 shooting quarter. Ripon was kept off the board for nearly five minutes as Stout pulled ahead 35-16 with an 8-0 run. The Blue Devils took a 35-18 lead into half.
Stout continued to keep the pressure on in the third, going in front 39-18 with the first four points of the frame. The teams traded baskets from there, as Ripon's deficit was at least 17 for the entire quarter. The opposition took a 54-31 lead with under three minutes left in the frame for its biggest lead of the game thus far. Ripon went on a mini 4-0 spurt near the end of the period, but still trailed 64-40 with 10 minutes to play.
Ripon started the fourth with some momentum, opening on a 7-2 run keeping UW-Stout off the board for over a minute and a half. Ten Pas scored Ripon's first five points of the frame, but the Red Hawks could only cut the margin to 19. The Red Hawks endured a scoring drought of three minutes as the opposition pushed its lead to 26 in the process. Stout bled the clock the rest of the way, keeping Ripon at a distance en route to the first round victory.
KEY STATS
- UW-Stout shot 55.0% from the floor (33-of-60) while Ripon finished at 35.6% success from the floor (21-of-59).
- The Red Hawks made one three-pointer, while the Blue Devils made eight.
- Ripon committed 18 turnovers and Stout turned those into 17 points.
- Reagan Sorenson led all scorers with 32 points for UW-Stout.
FOLLOW
Follow Ripon College Red Hawks Athletics on Facebook and @RiponRedHawks on Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to riponredhawks.com for all information, releases and schedules.
