Freshman Kiana Fall leads Ripon in assists and is one of three frosh in the starting lineup. All photos by Doug Sasse, d3photography.com

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

Alison Leslie is having the game of her life as a college basketball player on a Saturday afternoon in late January. Ripon is taking on Illinois College in a Midwest Conference road game and Leslie is lighting it up from 3-point range, much the way she has most of the season. 

On this day, Leslie drills nine 3-pointers, which brings a school record to its knees and provides most of the fuel for a 33-point performance.

Impressive for sure, but even more noteworthy when one considers she is only a freshman.

Then again, at Ripon, having newcomers to the college game rise to the occasion is the norm this year.

Leslie, along with rookie teammates Kiana Fall and Bonnie Jensen, have been instrumental in the Red Hawks’ success. 

All three are starters and are among the top five in scoring. 

Julia Scharinger, Jordan Bukouricz and Danyelle Waldera are also freshmen. Scharinger and Bukouricz are averaging more than seven minutes per game off the bench.

Alison Leslie leads Ripon in scoring and has made more than half of the team's 3-pointers.

Leslie echoes the sentiment of her fellow young teammates when she says they don’t feel like they are freshmen.

“We are all just out there playing the game we love,” the standout forward said.

Leslie said it was that love of the game that played a part in her impressive outing against Illinois College, one of the many highlights for a player who leads the Red Hawks in scoring at 13.6 points per game. She also credits her teammates for her ability to thrive as a freshman.

“My teammates were there for me in that game,” Leslie said. “They knew I had the hot hand and kept trying to get me the open, but it’s really not about the scoring. No matter who is having a good game, we go all in with that.”

Leslie, Fall and Jensen understand the value of teamwork and noted their older teammates embraced them in the preseason, instilling the belief they could be key contributors out of the gate.

“We didn’t know what to expect coming in,” Jensen said. “In the preseason, we were good about communicating. The upperclassmen let us know what they saw in us and told us we have the ability to do this or do that. They don’t treat us like freshmen. I think that’s part of what has made us so successful.”

Until a loss to St. Norbert last Saturday, Ripon had been rolling along on a seven-game win streak that staked the Red Hawks to a 13-3 start, their best start in 15 years. They now sit at 13-4 overall and 9-1 in the MWC.

All three rookie starters have contributed in different ways. Leslie has knocked down 45 3-pointers and is shooting better than 50 percent (51.1) from beyond the arc, establishing herself as one of the best long-distance shooters in the country. If she keeps it going, she’ll crush the school record for the best 3-point percentage (46.2) in a season.

She is also snagging 4.1 rebounds per game, good enough for the third-best average on the team.

Jensen is third in scoring (7.4) and ranks second in rebounding (5.9). She is also second in assists (33) and has been a force on defense with 14 blocked shots.

Fall, a high school teammate of Leslie’s, is the team leader in assists (45) and is fourth in scoring (5.8) for the Red Hawks.

“It’s been fun to coach them and to see them raise the competitive level of the team,” Ripon coach Lauren Busalacchi said. “All three have come from really good programs and they act like they belong. They have contributed in a positive way and are growing in their own way. I think that’s a credit to good parenting and good coaching.”

Familiarity has played a part, too, at least for Leslie and Fall. The two didn’t plan to end up at Ripon together. It just worked out that way.

“We both knew which schools each other was looking at, but we were fine being teammates in college or going our separate ways," Fall said. "But we are both more than happy with the choice we have made.”

Fall noted that while the game is a little more up-tempo than it was in high school, and of course the competition is at a different level, there are moments when it feels like old times for the two.

“It does feel like we’ve picked up where we left off at times, but playing in a new system, we are playing different roles than we did in high school," Fall said. "That is different, but it’s been fun to do it and be her teammate still.”

Leslie has also enjoyed the experience and said she and Fall have remained just as competitive as they were during their days at Clayton High School in Clayton, Wisconsin.

Bonnie Jensen has had success on the boards and shoots nearly 50 percent from the floor.

“We are both very competitive. We are going to continue to make each other better and continue progressing our games,” Leslie said. “The chance to still play together has been a cool experience.”

Although Jensen didn’t play with Leslie and Fall in high school, she said all six freshmen on the team have formed a tight bond and can relate to what each other is going through on and off the court.

“That’s been cool because we are all going through the same thing,” Jensen said. “If I’m having a frustrating day, I can talk to them and they can give me advice about what is helping them out. Having that connection has been a huge help.”

Busalacchi said adjustments are made during the season when it comes to off days and practice time, in part to help the freshmen be in a position to be at their best on game day.

“You hope those adjustments facilitate being able to bounce back and compete at the highest level on game day,” Busalacchi said. 

One of the things that impresses her the most is the way the freshmen continue to approach practices and games despite their success.

“They don’t act like they have arrived,” Busalacchi said. They take all the moments, good or bad, and keep moving forward.”

That’s exactly what Fall and her classmates on the team plan to do while helping Ripon contend for another MWC championship.

“We have high expectations for ourselves and don’t use being a freshman as a cop-out for not playing well or for not holding ourselves accountable. We disregard our age and just play,” Fall said.