Ripon Red Hawks (Photo Courtesy of Ripon College Athletics)
Top-seeded Ripon college captured the Midwest Conference women’s tournament championship on Saturday with a 55-48 win over Monmouth College. The Red Hawks (19-8) improved to 12-1 at home this season and will enter next weekend’s NCAA Tournament having won 16 of their last 17 games.
Monmouth entered the game ranked number one in scoring offense in the Midwest Conference, while Ripon is number-one defensively. It was the Red Hawks defense that set the tone early holding Monmouth to single digits in each of the first two quarters and they never trailed. The Fighting Scots shot just 21 percent (6 of 28) in the first half. Ripon took a 22-14 lead into halftime.
The Red Hawks shot 58 percent (11 of 19) in the second half, starting the third quarter on a 12-2 run.
Senior Laurissa Johnson led the team with 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting.
This marks Ripon’s fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history. The Red Hawks will learn their fate on Monday at 1:30 p.m. when their opponent and location will be revealed during the NCAA D-3 selection show on NCAA.com.
Lake Forest upsets top seeded St. Norbert to win men’s title
Lake Forest College earned its first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in program history by knocking off top-seeded and regular season champion St. Norbert College 68-64 in De Pere, Wis., on Saturday.
The Foresters lost both regular season meetings against the Green Knights, but picked the right time for their first win, capturing the Midwest Conference Tournament title.
The game was close throughout, featuring 16 ties and neither team holding a lead larger than seven points.
Sean Espinosa and Danny Sotos scored 19 points to share game-high scoring honors for Lake Forest. Wade Geenen had 18 to lead the Greek Knights.
Lake Forest’s opponent and regional location for the NCAA Tournament will be announced on Monday.