WHITEWATER, Wis. - Ripon defeated UW-Whitewater 71-70 Tuesday night in a game the Red Hawks controlled for most of the contest, only trailing for less than one minute of play. One key to the victory came at the free throw line where Ripon converted 80 percent (8-10) of their foul shots and UW-Whitewater made 63 percent (5-8) of their shots from the charity stripe.

Ripon (2-1) started the game with a hot hand, as Seth Kostroski opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, which was followed by a jumper by David DeValk to give the Red Hawks an early 5-0 lead. UW-Whitewater (2-2) took their first lead of the game with 12 minutes to play in the half when Paul Kingsley connected on a 3-pointer, but that lead only lasted 20 seconds as Kostroski answered with a three of his own to put the Red Hawks in front once more. Ripon would lead by as many as nine points mid-way through the first half and took a 33-29 lead into halftime.

Ripon continued to hold the lead in the second half, going up by as many as nine on a Trent Jones layup mid-way through the period. That lead lasted until the one minute mark when Equan Ards converted on a 3-pointer to put UW-Whitewater in the lead for the first time in the second half. Jones would then show ice water in his veins on the ensuing possession, hitting a jumper in the paint with 36 seconds remaining. Ripon would hang on for the victory as a last-second UW-Whitewater jumper was no good.

Ripon shot 51 percent (27-53) in the game, including 50 percent (9-18) from 3-point range. Jones and Kostroski each finished with 17 points, while Jones also added seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals. Ryan Steffes added 13 points, which included a trio of 3-pointers. DeValk added nine points and eight rebounds off the bench.

UW-Whitewater shot 50 percent (27-54) from the field, including 58 percent (11-19) from 3-point range. Ards led all scorers with 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting. Kingsley added 12 points off the bench, while Trevon Chislom added 10 in a reserve role.

Ripon will try to use this momentum heading into the weekend when they'll travel to Luther College on Saturday. That game will begin at 1 p.m. in Decorah, Iowa, and can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/luther/.