RIPON, Wis. - Saturday's game against Concordia (WI) looked like a blowout from the start. The ending though, was anything but a lopsided victory. Despite gaining a 19-point first half lead, the Red Hawks had to hold their breath at the end of the game to escape with a 71-68 victory.

Ripon (3-1) struck first, with a layup by Jeni Yaeger to begin the scoring. Concordia (1-1) answered with a Krista Mayyou layup, tying the game at two. That would be as close as Concordia would get all game, as Ripon never trailed in the ball game. After Mayyou's layup, Ripon went on a 36-17 run, which gave them their largest lead of 19 with four and a half minutes to play in the first period. Concordia was able to put a small dent in that lead, as they ended the half with a 12-2 run of their own, capped off by a Leah Buyarski layup with just seconds remaining. That layup cut the lead to single digits, with Concordia heading to the locker room down by nine.

The second half began as a back-and-forth battle. Ripon continued to hold a nine-point lead with 10 minutes to play, but the Falcons were about to make one final push. Trailing 58-49, Concordia went on an 11-3 run to cut the Red Hawk lead to one point with just over four minutes to play. The Falcons would cut the lead to one again with 1:43 remaining, but two Sara Gustafson free throws and a clutch Yaeger basket gave Ripon a five point lead with 22 seconds left. After Asia Beckum made a layup for Concordia, Gustafson was forced to shoot another pair of free throws with six seconds left. The senior guard couldn't convert on either one, giving Concordia one last desperation attempt to tie. Mayyou grabbed the rebound of the second miss and dribbled to three point line, but her shot was off and Ripon walked off the court with their second win in a row.

Yaeger had her most solid game of the season for the Red Hawks, finishing with 19 points and seven rebounds, while sinking 9-of-12 free throws. Amanda Lindauer continued her strong play as of late, recording 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Mona Delsman scored seven points, but did the little things to help her team, recording six rebounds, and team-highs of seven assists and two steals.

Concordia was led by Mayyou's 16 points and 11 boards. Erika Ensign chipped in with 12 points, while Angie Davis, Asia Beckum, and Kristen Ruppe each had 10. The difference in the game was at the free throw line, where the Falcons made just 36 percent of their shots (5-14). Ripon on the other hand shot 59 percent from the charity stripe, but made 17-of-24 (71%) in the second half.

Ripon will now have a week to prepare for the Midwest Conference season. The Red Hawks will host Knox College Friday night at 5:00 p.m. in the first conference match for both teams. That game will be followed by the men's game against the Prairie Fire.