Box Score MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – The Wisconsin Lutheran College men's basketball team dropped its home opener 72-59 against Ripon Wednesday night in non-conference action at the Recreation Complex. The Red Hawks shot 50 percent from the field in the contest, while holding the Warriors to 38.5 percent.
THE BASICS
- Final Score: Ripon 72, Wisconsin Lutheran 59
- Records: Wisconsin Lutheran (0-2), Ripon (2-0)
- Location: Recreation Complex, Milwaukee, Wis
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Warriors came out of the gates hot, taking an early 9-0 lead and forced a Ripon timeout. WLC connected on four of its first five shots.
- Collin Kennedy (Holmen, Wis.) made a layup to give Wisconsin Lutheran a 17-10 lead at the 10:52 mark, but the Warriors were held without a field goal until 4:37 remaining in the half when Sam Kaufman (Spring Grove, Ill.) hit a mid-range jumped from the corner.
- Ripon used strong defense and held WLC to just three points in the final 10:52 of the first half and took a 34-20 lead into the locker room.
- Kennedy led the way at half with eight points. Ripon shot 48.1 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes.
- Kennedy connected on a pair of free throws to cut the Red Hawks' lead to 10 at 36-26.
- WLC was never able to come within single digits, and Ripon extended its lead to 19 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game.
- The Warriors trimmed the deficit to 14 with six minutes remaining, but Ripon never let the Warriors get any closer than 12 down the stretch.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Kennedy paced the Warriors with a double-double, scoring 20 points with 11 rebounds. Chase Nowak (Milwaukee, Wis.) also added 20 points, 18 of which came in the second half.
- WLC struggled from behind the arc, shooting 6.7 percent on just 1-for-15.
- The Warriors took advantage of being aggressive in the second half, converting 18-of-20 free throws.
- Wisconsin Lutheran won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding Ripon 37-33.
FOR THE FOES
- Ripon saw three players reach double-figures, led by 17 from Tyler Semenas. Isaac Masters added 12 points to the backcourt.
- Koy Brecklin contributed 14 points off the bench for Ripon.
- Ripon shot 50 percent from the floor.
- The Red Hawks forced 20 turnovers which they converted into 14 points.
- Ripon controlled the paint, out-scoring WLC 44-28. The Red Hawks' bench out-scored WLC's 21-8.
UP NEXT
- The Warriors open NACC play Saturday when they host Rockford (2-2). Tip-off inside the Recreation Complex is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The Regents are coming off a 102-83 loss to Dubuque in non-conference action Wednesday night. Last season, WLC won both matchups against RU. Links to live stats and video will be available at WLCSports.com.
