RIPON, Wis. -- The Ripon College women's basketball team officially secured its place atop the Midwest Conference on Wednesday night, defeating Cornell College 76-40 at Weiske Gymnasium to clinch the MWC Regular Season Championship outright.
With the victory, the Red Hawks improve to 21-2 overall and remain perfect in conference play at 14-0. The title marks Ripon's eighth consecutive Midwest Conference regular season championship, continuing a dominant run that has defined the program's sustained excellence.
Ripon set the tone early, using defensive pressure and transition offense to build momentum. After leading just 14-11 at the end of the first quarter, the Red Hawks exploded in the second quarter, outscoring Cornell 26-8. Ripon shot an impressive 69.2 percent from the field in the quarter and knocked down all three of its three-point attempts to take a commanding 40-19 lead into halftime.
Sophomore Karsyn Nelson (Cottage Grove, Wis., Monona Grove HS) led the way with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. She also added five rebounds and three assists. Senior Natalie Rauwolf (Madison, Wis., Madison Memorial HS) was nearly perfect from the floor, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and a flawless 3-of-3 from three-point range, ranking her among the top of the NCAA in 3-point percentage (50.5%).
Junior Laney Havlovitz (Wild Rose, Wis., Wild Rose HS) once again filled the stat sheet with 13 points, six assists, and a game-high eight steals. Her defensive energy helped fuel Ripon's transition attack, as the Red Hawks scored 24 fast-break points and forced 27 Cornell turnovers. Ripon turned those takeaways into 35 points, consistently capitalizing on defensive stops.
The Red Hawks continued to pull away in the third quarter, outscoring the Rams 20-7 to extend the lead to 60-26 entering the final quarter. Ripon finished the game shooting 53.7 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three-point range while holding Cornell to just 35.9 percent shooting overall.
Sophomore Halle Van Horn (Fredonia, Wis., Random Lake HS) contributed eight points and five rebounds, while senior McKenzie Bestor (La Valle, Wis., Reedsburg Area HS) added six points off the bench. Senior Molly Johannes (Eldorado, Wis., Laconia HS) chipped in five points and five rebounds, and the Ripon bench accounted for 23 total points in a balanced team effort.
Defensively, Ripon controlled the paint, outrebounding Cornell 34-16 and limiting second-chance opportunities. The Red Hawks' depth was on full display as 17 players saw action in the win.
Wednesday's victory not only secured another conference crown but also reinforced Ripon's consistency and dominance within the Midwest Conference. Eight straight regular season championships stand as a testament to the culture and standard the program continues to uphold.
The Red Hawks will look to keep their unbeaten conference record intact when they travel to Knox College on Saturday, Feb 14 for a 3pm matchup.
