RIPON, Wis. – Bo Johnson had a feeling he was going to play well when Ripon College visited Grinnell College on Friday night.
Boy, was he right?
Johnson scored 36 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to help Ripon College to a 112-102 victory over the Grinnell Pioneers. The victory was big and it kept Ripon in the hunt for the Midwest Conference Championship. The Red Hawks improved to 14-5 on the season and 8-4 in the MWC. Grinnell College fell to 5-15 overall and 2-12 in league play.
Johnson was extremely hot from the field Friday night, hitting 15 of 18 shots. The sophomore forward from Wausau, Wis., helped give the Red Hawks a 54-49 advantage at the intermission and later secured the final 10-point victory.
Four other Ripon players finished in double figures Friday. Tommy Becker, a definite All-America candidate at guard, tallied 21 points with four rebounds, eight assists, one blocked shot and five steals. David McMullen added 18 points and 10 assists, while Brian Schmitting had 13 points and eight rebounds. Jonathan Murphy chipped in with 10 points.
Paul Nordland and Toby Carlson led Grinnell College with 15 points each. Mike Schmidt and Brock Martinez, a Ripon native, added 14 points each.
The Red Hawks will wrap up their three-game road swing on Saturday, Feb. 5, when they visit Monmouth College. The game is set to begin at 4 p.m.
Ripon returns home on Saturday, Feb. 12, for a game with Carroll College at 4 p.m. The afternoon has been designated Take-A-Kid-To-The-Game Day and all children under the age of 12 will receive free admission to both the women’s and men’s games.
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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