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LaCROSSE, Wis. - Ripon fell behind by at least seven points on three separate occasions Saturday night at UW-LaCrosse, but each time battled back to give the Eagles a scare. Their final scare wasn't enough however, despite having four Red Hawks score in double figures, as UW-L hung on for a 70-69 victory.
The game looked to be headed for a blowout early on, with UW-LaCrosse (3-0) scoring the first seven points of the game. Things would then settle down a little, as Ripon (1-1) managed to tie the game at 11, thanks to a lay up by Martin Esters. The Red Hawks would take their first lead of the game two minutes later on a three-pointer by Chris Kellett. They would hold onto that lead for most of the remaining first half, going up by as many as eight points.
UW-LaCrosse then caught fire, outscoring the Red Hawks 22-4 in the final five and a half minutes of the period, giving them a 10-point halftime lead.
The beginning of the second half would be Ripon's turn to get the hot hand, outscoring the Eagles 15-4 in the first four and a half minutes of the second period, as they regained the lead on a Tyler Fischer lay up. The two teams traded baskets for the next several minutes, until UW-LaCrosse opened up an eight-point lead with seven minutes to play. A three-point play by Kellett and another lay up by Esters cut that lead to three points, but that would be as close as Ripon would get until the final seconds. The Eagles gave Ripon every opportunity to win towards the end, missing four free throws in the last 20 seconds. Fischer would cut the lead to a single point on a three-pointer with three seconds remaining, but UW-LaCrosse was able to run out the clock, securing their victory.
Esters led the Red Hawks with 16 points on seven-of-seven shooting, while also collecting three rebounds and three assists. Kellett and Scott Gillespie each finished with 15 points. Kellett also had seven rebounds, while Gillespie recorded five rebounds and five assists. Fischer also scored in double figures, with a 10 point performance. The Ripon bench accounted for just six points, while UW-LaCrosse received 23 points off the pine.
The Eagles were led by Billy Kegler's 17 points and seven rebounds. Chris Fehrenbach chipped in with 14 points and four boards, while T.J. Nereng finished with 12 points. UW-L was able to pull out the victory, despite shooting 37 percent in the game. They were also dominated in the paint at times, as they were outscored down low by the Red Hawks 38-26.
Ripon will try to bounce back next weekend, when they'll open conference play with back-to-back games at Knox College and Illinois College. They will square off against the Prairie Fire on Friday at 7:00, with that game being preceded by the women's contest. All next weekend's games can be seen live via webcast on www.midwestconference.tv.
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