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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Ripon earned their first win Friday night since winning their season opener, snapping a five game losing streak with a 94-79 victory over St. Lawrence University at the Land of Magic Classic. The Red Hawks were sparked by freshman Scott Gillespie, who had one of the all-time great performances in Ripon men's basketball history, scoring 42 points, which is just six shy of the Red Hawk single game scoring record. Another key to the Ripon victory was forcing St. Lawrence into 22 turnovers, which the Red Hawk converted into 32 points.
Early in the game, things didn't look like they'd be easy. St. Lawrence (2-5) took a seven point lead just five minutes into the contest. That wouldn't last long however, thanks to an 11-1 run by the Red Hawks (2-5) that put them up by three with nine minutes left. That rally was capped by a jumper by Gillespie, who scored seven points in that run. Ripon took their their largest lead of the half with just over one minute left on a layup by Chris Kellett, giving them a 13-point advantage at halftime. St. Lawrence was held to 32 percent shooting in the half, while Ripon made 50 percent of their shots.
The second half would be more of the same, with Ripon leading the rest of the way, thanks to a 55 percent shooting performance in the second half. The Red Hawks also went to the free throw line 35 times in the second period, making 25 of them. They finished the game 33-of-46 (72%) from the charity stripe. Ripon took their largest lead of the game with under 15 minutes to play on back-to-back baskets by Kellett, which put them up by 17 points.
St. Lawrence would then whittle that lead down, using an 11-3 run to pull to within five. Ripon would hit their free throws down the stretch however, to take home a much needed victory.
In addition to Gillespie's 42 points, the Ripon, Wis. native also added seven rebounds and seven assists. He was
10-of-16 from the floor, while also making 21-of-25 shots at the free throw line. Kellett added 12 points, while Martin Esters and Eric Wright each chipped in with 10 points apiece. Wright also grabbed seven rebounds and made both of his 3-point attempts, as he provided a spark off the bench.
St. Lawrence was led by Tom Wopperer, who finished with a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds. Richard Williams scored 17 off the bench for St. Lawrence, while Josh Sharlow and Bela Vonnak scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. Sharlow added five assists, while Vonnak pulled down seven rebounds.
The Red Hawks will continue to have fun in the sun on Saturday, as they'll square off with Ithaca College (NY) in day two action of the Land of Magic Classic. That game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CDT in Daytona Beach, Fla.
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