GRINNELL, Iowa - For the second time in two weeks, the Red Hawks battled Carroll College, and for the second time in two weeks, the Pioneers came away victorious. Carroll defeated the Red Hawks 92-79 in the semi-final round of the Midwest Conference Tournament at Grinnell College in a game that featured six ties and five lead changes and was much closer than the final score indicated.

Ripon (13-10) started the game on the right foot, as senior Bo Johnson connected on a 3-pointer just 20 seconds into the contest. Carroll (15-8) answered quickly with a three of their own, which would be a sign of things to come. The two teams battled back-and-forth for much of the first half, with neither team leading by more than eight until Nathan Drury’s 3-pointer gave Carroll a nine point advantage with two and a half minutes left before halftime. With 30 seconds left before intermission, Johnson completed a 3-point play to cut the Carroll lead to seven, but as they would do all night, the Pioneers had an answer. Wes Ladwig nailed a three just before halftime, giving Carroll a 10 point lead as the two teams headed to the locker rooms.

The Red Hawks came out for the second half with two things on their mind, comeback, and feed the ball to senior center Brian Schmitting. They did both those things, even more quickly than they’d hoped. Ripon used a 12-2 run in the first three minutes of the second half. Schmitting scored six points, and recorded three rebounds and an assist in that stretch, helping the Red Hawks tie the game at 53. The two teams traded baskets for the next few minutes and Tyler Fischer finally helped Ripon take the lead on a putback basket with 14 minutes to play. That would be the Red Hawk’s final lead of the game, but they never gave up until the final buzzer sounded. Carroll used an 11-2 run to take an 11 point lead with just under 10 minutes to play. Ripon made one final push, going on a 12-3 run of their own, cutting the Carroll lead to just two points with six minutes to play. The Pioneers didn’t let it get any closer than that, as they hit a couple back-breaking 3-pointers down the stretch, to seal the victory and move on to the MWC Tournament final against Lake Forest on Saturday.

Ripon was led by Brian Schmitting, who had a career day in his final game as a Red Hawk. The Hilbert, Wis. native scored 16 points in each half, giving him a career-high 32 on 15-of-18 shooting. Schmitting, who dominated at times in the second half, also recorded 13 rebounds and three assists. Those 32 points also puts Schmitting over 1,000 for his career, as he compiled 1,003 in his four years in the red and white. Johnson also scored in double-figures, finishing with 18, including three 3-pointers. Paul Wise and David McMullen chipped in with nine and seven points, respectively. Each player also recorded six assists.

The Pioneers had four players score in double-figures, led by Drury’s 22 points, to go along with his game-high nine assists. Drury made four 3-pointers, while his teammate, Ladwig hit on five from downtown. Ladwig finished with 21 points. Adam Ligocki and Ben Fischer scored 16 and 10, respectively. Carroll showed off their sharp shooting skills, hitting 43 percent (13-30) from 3-point range, including 50 percent (9-18) in the first half. The Red Hawks were out-rebounded 35-24 in the game.