RIPON, Wis. – Illinois College ran into one of the top teams in the nation on Saturday afternoon, falling 88-56 to No. 20 Ripon College in a Midwest Conference contest at Weiske Gymnasium.
With the loss, the Lady Blues move to 8-12 overall and 4-7 in MWC play, while Ripon improves to 18-2 on the season and remains unbeaten in conference action at 11-0.
Ripon set the tone early, opening the game with a 21-12 lead after the first quarter. The Red Hawks continued to build momentum in the second period, outscoring Illinois College 25-13 to carry a 46-25 advantage into halftime.
Illinois College continued to battle coming out of the break, but Ripon maintained control throughout the third quarter, extending its lead to 68-34 behind balanced scoring and pressure defense.
The Lady Blues battled in the final quarter, putting together their best offensive period with 22 points, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome as Ripon closed out the 88-56 victory
Jayln Patterson led Illinois College with 10 points, while Cora DeSutter also added 10 points and grabbed three rebounds, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Kaity Robison chipped in nine points off the bench, and Allison Icenogle provided a spark with six points on a pair of three-pointers. Illinois College received 32 points from its bench in the contest.
The Lady Blues shot 32.7 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from three-point range, while Ripon finished the afternoon shooting 46.9 percent overall and was led by Halle Van Horn's game-high 18 points.
Up Next
The Lady Blues return home on Saturday, February 7 for a 3:00 p.m. contest against Lake Forest College on Cancer Awareness Night.
