Stevens' Dominance On Display As WLC Knocks Off Ripon Red Hawks

MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) - Sophomore forward Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) scored a career-high 29 points to lead Wisconsin Lutheran College to its first win of the season on Friday at Time of Grace Center, a 60-52 triumph over Ripon at the Paul F. Knueppel Classic.

The Warriors (1-1) jumped out to a 7-2 lead behind four points from Stevens. The Red Hawks responded with a 4-0 spurt to bring their deficit within one with 3:17 remaining. WLC finished the opening quarter on another 7-2 run behind five more points from Stevens, as Wisconsin Lutheran led 14-8 after the opening 10 minutes of action.

After both teams exchanged baskets to begin the second quarter, a layup from freshman Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.) gave the Warriors a double-digit lead, 21-10, with under six minutes to play in the half. RC cut it back to single digits, as it scored the final five points of the half, before WLC took a 25-17 lead into the locker room.

Ripon opened the third quarter scoring six of the first seven points to cut the deficit to three with 6:31 remaining. Both teams went back and forth again for the remainder of the quarter and Wisconsin Lutheran held a 35-33 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Warriors opened the final quarter on a 13-4 run that was capped off by threes from junior Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.) and senior Kara Troxel (Bonduel, Wis.) to push the advantage back to double digits, 48-37, with six minutes remaining. The Red Hawks responded with an 8-2 run to come within five, as WLC led 50-45 with three minutes left. Wisconsin Lutheran answered with six straight points to put the game out of reach en route to picking up the 60-52 win.

Stevens led the Warriors with a career-high 29 points to go along with nine rebounds, both game-highs. Cole finished with 10 points and five rebounds, while Hill chipped in nine points. The Warriors shot 46.7 percent (21-for-45) from the field and went 6-for-19 from beyond the arc for 31.6 percent. 

Ella Ten Pas scored a team-high 14 points for RC (2-1), which shot 40 percent (18-for-45) for the game. Ripon also shot 93.8 percent (15-16) from the free throw line.

WLC returns to the Time of Grace Center tomorrow for its final game of the 2024 Paul F. Knueppel Classic against No. 8 UW-Oshkosh (3-0). Tip-off is set for 3:15 p.m. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.