RIPON, Wis. – Ripon is playing their best ball of the season at just the right time. The Red Hawks tied their season-high with their third win in a row Tuesday night in a 71-53 win over St. Norbert. Ripon remains tied atop the Midwest Conference standings as the teams come down the stretch, due to wins by both Carroll and Grinnell also on Tuesday.

The 18 point win over the Green Knights is a bit deceiving when you consider the game was deadlocked at 25 as the two teams headed to halftime. Neither team led by more than five points, with Ripon (10-7, 8-3) taking an early 9-4 lead on a jumper by Brian Schmitting. St. Norbert (7-10, 6-5) battled back to take the lead, thanks to an 18-10 run. Ripon would tie the game up for the fifth and final time of the night with 14 seconds to play in the first half on a layup by David McMullen.

The second half was all Red Hawks, as they connected on their first five shots from the field, while also scoring the first six points of the half. St. Norbert would cut the lead to two with 15 and a half minutes to play, but that's as close as they'd get the rest of the game. Leading by three points with just under eight minutes to play, Ripon put the game to rest, going on a 14-3 run. In that span, Schmitting scored eight points, including a powerful dunk that sent the crowd into a frenzy. After that run, St. Norbert never cut the lead to single digits, as Ripon scored the final nine points of the game for the victory.

Schmitting, who was named MWC Performer of the Week for his play last week, continued his strong play Tuesday. The center from Hilbert, Wis. finished with 23 points and six rebounds, while converting on 10 of his 11 shots. Chris Kellett chipped in with 14 points and six boards, while also going 7-for-7 from the free throw line. McMullen had another great all-around game, recording 13 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.

The Green Knights were led by Bryan Fleischmann, who was the only St. Norbert player to score in double figures, with 11 points. Nathan Zepnick scored nine points, while Tom Katzfey finished with eight. The freshman guard tandem of Tony Jandron and Eric Gruenewald were held to seven points apiece. St. Norbert shot just 21 percent
(3-14) from three-point range in the second half.

Ripon will try to continue their winning ways on Friday, as they'll begin a four game road trip, beginning with Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill. on Friday night. Gametime is set for 7:00 and will be preceded by the women's contest.