DE PERE, Wis. - Ripon faced a daunting task Wednesday night as they visited the hostile environment at in Schuldes Sports Center at St. Norbert. Both teams went into the game unbeaten in MWC play, but it was the Green Knights who walked away with a still unblemished conference mark. Although Ripon kept it close for a half, St. Norbert broke the game open late, winning 66-45.

Both teams came out of the gates with defense on their minds. Neither team scored until the third minute of the game, when St. Norbert's Morgan Strasser hit a jumper for a 2-0 Green Knight lead. The lead went back-and-forth in the early moments, with four lead changes, and two ties. After an Amanda Lindauer three-pointer, Ripon went up by one with 15 minutes to play in the first half. That would be the last time the Red Hawks (4-3, 1-1) would lead all night. Strasser hit another jumper on St. Norbert's next possession, giving the Green Knights (4-3, 3-0) the lead for good. Ripon kept it close the rest of the half, never trailing by more than eight. Strasser gave St. Norbert their largest lead of the half with a three-pointer with just seconds remaining. The Red Hawks went to the locker room trailing 31-23.

St. Norbert extended their lead to double-digits in the early moments of the second half on a layup by Ellen Hake. Ripon would cut that lead to nine on a field goal by Jessica DeHamer, but that's as close as it would get the rest of the way. The Green Knights shot 52 percent in the second half, while Ripon made just 31 percent of their shots. Ripon, a smaller team than just about everyone on their schedule, was outscored 44-20 in the paint. Another big factor in the Green Knight win was the turnover battle, which St. Norbert won 27-19.

The Red Hawks were led by Lindauer's 14 points and five rebounds, as she continues to excel in her first season of collegiate basketball. Mona Delsman finished with seven points and three assists, while DeHamer had six points and six rebounds off the bench.

Strasser and Bianca White where two difference makers for the Green Knights. Strasser scored 13 of her 17 points in the first half, while also collecting seven steals. White was unstoppable at times, finishing with 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting, to go along with 10 rebounds. Hake also scored in double figures, with 12, while pulling down nine rebounds.

Ripon will now put conference play on hold for about a month, as they'll enjoy some fun and sun over Christmas break. The Red Hawks travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for their next couple games at the Cruzin Classic. Ripon opens the tournament on December 17 against University of Mary (WA) at 10:00 a.m. EST. They will also take on Loras College (IA) a day later, at 4:00 p.m. EST.