February 8, 2008

Box Score

RIPON, Wis. – For the first time in nearly a month, the Ripon women's basketball team was able to experience the thrill of victory. They defeated Illinois College 73-69 in overtime to snap a seven-game losing streak, which was the longest such streak in 18 years. They were able to do so in dramatic fashion, coming from 18 points down in the second half to force the extra period.

Illinois College got out to the early lead, going up by as much as seven points in the first eight minutes of the game. Ripon then showed what to expect in the latter part of the game, scoring 10 consecutive points in the next five minutes to take a 15-12 lead, sparked by six points from Emily Meyer in that span. After that, it was the Lady Blues' turn to score, taking a seven point advantage by scoring 10 unanswered points of their own. Ripon would cut the lead to three on a basket by Amanda Lindauer with two minutes left in the half. After an Illinois College

3-pointer, Ripon responded with a jumper by Jessica Goudreau and a 3-pointer by Meyer, cutting the halftime lead to one point and taking the momentum with them into the half.

The Lady Blues slowly took command of the game again in the second half, taking an 11-point advantage on a 3-pointer by Candy Norville with 13 and a half minutes to play. They built that lead even bigger a few minutes later, as Rachel Macon gave Illinois College a 14 point lead with under 10 minutes left. That's when Ripon would take over. They would outscore IC 18-4 during the final nine and a half minutes of regulation, started by another basket from Meyer. After Illinois College went up by 10 once again, Ripon's Jeni Yaeger and Ashley Meister cut into that lead, scoring on consecutive Red Hawk possessions. The Lady Blues were still holding a three point lead with 40 seconds left after a jumper by IC's Lauren Napier, but there was still a sense that the lead was slipping away. It officially vanished with 10 seconds left when Ripon's Carissa Zuercher nailed a 3-point shot, tying the score at 62. Illinois College would turn the ball over in the final seconds and the two teams headed to overtime.

In that extra frame, Ripon never trailed, leading by as many as seven points. Meyer scored four of her game-high 24 points in the overtime period, including a huge 3-pointer with 50 seconds left to give Ripon a 5-point lead. Illinois College wouldn't get closer than four points the rest of the game.

In addition to Meyer, Meister, Jessica DeHamer, and Amanda Lindauer also scored in double figures. DeHamer recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Meister added 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Lindauer came off the bench to record 12 points and five rebounds. The Red Hawks hit the board hard all game, recording 42 rebounds, while allowing Illinois College to grab just 26.

The Lady Blues were led by Macon and Norville, who scored 18 and 17 points, respectively. Brittany Parsons chipped in with eight points, 11 assists, and five steals. IC lost the game and lost their 14-point second half lead, despite shooting 57 percent (13-23) from the field in the second half.

The Red Hawks will remain at home for Saturday's game against Knox College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and will be followed by the men's contest against the Prairie Fire. Both games can be seen live on www.midwestconference.tv. They will also feature an appearance by J.J. Jumper, the official mascot of the NCAA.