Contact: Chassidy Holloway, Associate Executive Director, holloway@midwestconference.org
 
RIPON, Wisconsin – Ripon College secured its second consecutive Midwest Conference (MWC) Women’s Basketball Tournament title with a 67-47 victory over Grinnell College on Saturday afternoon. The win marks the program’s eighth tournament title and its fourth in the past six seasons.
 
The Red Hawks struck first, scoring just 15 seconds into the game, while the Pioneers took nearly two minutes to even the score at 2-2. Ripon then responded with a 6-0 run, extending its lead to 8-2 before trading baskets with Grinnell to make it a 10-8 game.
 
That was as close as Grinnell would get, as Ripon closed out the first quarter with a dominant 14-0 run, taking a commanding 24-8 lead.
 
In the second quarter, the Red Hawks extended their advantage to 20 points, while Grinnell struggled offensively, going nearly two minutes without a field goal before getting on the board with a pair of free throws. Ripon maintained at least a 16-point cushion throughout the quarter and entered halftime leading 35-15.
 
The Pioneers outscored Ripon 21-16 in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 11 points with 2:41 remaining, but the Red Hawks held firm, closing the period with a 51-36 lead.
 
Grinnell was unable to mount a comeback in the final frame, trailing by as many as 25 points as Ripon cruised to a decisive victory.
 
With the win, the Red Hawks improved to 23-4 overall and secured the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament. Ripon will learn its first-round destination during Monday’s Selection Show on NCAA.com, scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
 
Grinnell concludes its season with a 19-8 overall record (12-4 MWC).