RIPON, Wis. - Ripon's women's basketball team lost to Lake Forest 78-75 Friday in the semifinals of the Midwest Conference Tournament. The Red Hawks shot 53 percent (30-57) from the field, including 62 percent (16-26) in the first half, but converted just 48 percent (12-25) of their free throws in the contest. Lake Forest finished the game shooting 49 percent (26-53) from the field and 77 percent (23-30) from the free throw line.

The game was tightly contested throughout, featuring 12 ties and five lead changes. Ripon (17-8) got out to a good start, scoring the game's first six points, but Lake Forest closed the gap, taking a 17-16 lead late in the first quarter. Ripon took the lead again in the final seconds of that period on a jumper by Caitie Carpenter, and they would hold that lead for the remainder of the half, but their lead was reduced to one point at the halftime buzzer when Lake Forest's Zaria Sydnor connected on a 3-pointer.

Ripon continued to lead for the first three minutes of the third quarter, until Kelsey Burton took the lead on a trio of 3-pointers. Ripon wouldn't lead again until early in the fourth period when a Maggie Oimoen layup gave them a 60-58 advantage. The game remained close the rest of the night, with five ties in the fourth quarter alone, including with just under three minutes remaining when Ripon's Eleanore Mueller tied the game on a layup in the paint. That was answered by a jumper from Kelsey Schmitt to give Lake Forest a lead that they would not relinquish. The Foresters would extend that lead to five with nine seconds remaining, but the Red Hawks kept fighting, as Emma McDonald connected on a 3-pointer with five seconds left to cut the lead to two. After Lake Forest made one of two free throws, Ripon had a desperation shot from half-court fall short of the basket to end the game.

Oimoen led Ripon with 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting, despite playing just 18 minutes, while adding nine rebounds (four offensive). McDonald finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists, while Alyassa Burgess, Laurissa Johnson, and Carpenter each finished with seven points.The Red Hawks outscored Lake Forest in the paint by a 40-16 margin.

Lake Forest was led by Burton's 24 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists, while making 8-of-10 shots from the field. Schmitt added 17 points and four assists, while Molly Schoenlein scored 15 points.

Ripon finishes the season ranking second in school history for single season rebounds (1,099), while smashing the school record for blocked shots in a season (123). This year's Red Hawks also finished in the top 10 in school history for total points, field goals, 3-pointers, and assists.