RIPON, Wis. - The NCAA Division-III's leader in field goal percentage was at it again Saturday afternoon, as Ripon shot 48 percent (30-63) from the field, including 48 percent (12-25) from 3-point range, en route to an 86-73 victory against Illinois College. The Red Hawks out-rebounded Illinois College 40-29, which helped Ripon outscore the Blueboys in second chance points by a margin of 21-2. The Red Hawks turned in one of their most efficient games of the season, committing a season-low five turnovers, in front of a home crowd that was littered with Alumni for Ripon's annual Alumni Basketball Day.

Illinois College (6-11, 3-9 MWC) got off to a quick start, scoring the first five points of the game, but Ripon (14-3, 10-2 MWC) battled back to take the lead on three Ty Sabin free throws with 15 and a half minutes left in the first half. Sabin scored 12 of Ripon's final 17 points of the half, giving him 21 at the break, as Ripon took a six-point lead into the locker room.

Ripon's lead vanished in the second half, as Illinois College tied the score at 49 on a 3-pointer by Max Stutsman with 14 and a half minutes remaining. Sabin then gave the Red Hawks the lead again with two free throws on the ensuing possession. Leading by three later in the half, Ripon extended its lead to double digits behind its freshmen Seth Kostroski and Kyle Rutkowski, who combined to score seven consecutive points. After the lead was cut to single digits once more, Sabin and Elliot Hoerdemann hit back-to-back threes, followed by a tip-in by Koy Brecklin to give Ripon a 17-point advantage with five minutes left, helping them coast to victory.

Division-III's leading scorer, Sabin finished with 39 points, which includied five 3-pointers. That gives Sabin more than 500 points on the season, making him the first player in program history to reach the 500-point plateau in three different seasons. Brendan McCoy added 11 points, with three 3-pointers of his own, while Rutkowski added 10 points and six rebounds (three offensive) off the bench.

Illinois College was led by a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds by Stutsman. Mitchell Patterson added 16 points, while Mason Speer and David Bauer each scored 14.

With the win, Ripon remains in second place in the MWC standings, just one game behind first-place St. Norbert. Those two teams will tangle on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Kress Center in Green Bay, Wis., with St. Norbert trying to avenge an 81-55 loss at Ripon earlier in the season, which ended the Green Knights' Division-III record 72-game conference winning streak. That game can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ripon/.