RIPON, Wis., – Ripon College used a late second-half rally Wednesday night to pick up a 65-58 victory over Beloit College in men’s basketball action.
The win improved Ripon to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Midwest Conference. Beloit fell to 2-4 on the year and 0-2 in conference play.
The Red Hawks trailed early in the game Wednesday, but closed the Beloit margin to only two at 25-23 as the two teams left the floor at the break. Ripon continued to play strong in the second period and actually took a brief 37-34 lead on a basket by Brian Schmitting with 15:34 remaining in the game.
However, Beloit hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 37. The Red Hawks came right back and answered with an 11-3 run to take a 48-40 advantage on a basket by Bo Johnson and when Tommy Becker scored from in the paint with 8:37 on the clock, the Red Hawks held a comfortable 55-42 margin.
Johnson led the Red Hawks with 20 points on the night. He also had six rebounds. Schmitting chipped in with 15 points and a team high of seven rebounds. Becker and David McMullen added 11 points each.
As a team, Ripon shot 42 percent (27-63) from the field, 23 percent (3-13) from long range and 47 percent (8-17) from the free-throw line. The Red Hawks had 34 rebounds, 16 assists, four blocked shots and 13 steals.
Danny Towns led Beloit with 20 points, while Josh Hinz had 13 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Nick Hendry scored 10 points and pulled down five rebounds.
As a team, Beloit shot 34 percent (19-55) from the field, 40 percent (6-15) from long range and 60 percent (14-23) from the charity stripe. The Buccaneers had 46 rebounds, 10 assists, two blocked shots and four steals.
The Red Hawks are back in action on Saturday, Dec. 11, when they visit Augustana College. The game is set for 7 p.m.
Ripon College, founded in 1851, has been providing a quality, personal liberal arts and sciences education to undergraduates for more than 150 years. Recognized as “A Best 357 College” by The Princeton Review and among 160 of the best schools in the nation by Colleges of Distinction, Ripon offers NCAA Division III athletic competition in 20 sports for men and women. For more information about Ripon College, visit www.ripon.edu.
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