EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Ripon's women's basketball tipped off their 2021-22 season Friday night with a 76-72 win against UW-River Falls at a tournament hosted by UW-Eau Claire. That marks the third consecutive season in which Ripon has won their season opener, while also marking their first-ever win against UW-River Falls in what was just their second meeting on the hardwood.

Ripon (1-0) came out firing, scoring the game's first six points on 3-pointers by Kassidy Walters and Alison Leslie. After taking a 9-2 lead just three minutes into the game, UW-River Falls (0-2) battled back to tie the score at 11. The Red Hawks then scored 10 unanswered points to end the opening quarter, including 3-pointers by Annika Anderson and Bonnie Jensen. Ripon held that lead until the final minutes of the half, as the two teams went to the locker rooms tied at 35.

UW-River Falls scored the first seven points of the second half, taking their largest lead of seven just two minutes into the third quarter. That lead lasted until the seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter when Leslie connected on a 3-pointer to give Ripon a 57-54 advantage. The lead would change hands seven times in the final seven minutes of regulation, with Anderson tying the game with a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in the second half, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra period, UW-RF scored first on a Colie Justice free throw. Jensen then scored a layup on the ensuing possession, giving Ripon the lead for good with three and a half minutes left in the extra frame. River Falls cut the lead to a single point with one minute remaining, but defense and free throws sealed the game for the Red Hawks.

Ten of the 11 players that entered the game for Ripon scored at least one point. Jensen led the way with team-highs of 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Skyylar Brescia scored 10 points off the bench. Anderson added nine points in just six minutes, including a trio of 3-pointers, while Kiana Fall chipped in with nine points and four rebounds. Ripon shot 48 percent (28-59) from the field, including 50 percent (9-18) from 3-point range.

UW-River Falls shot 45 percent (28-62) from the field, but were held to just 22 percent shooting (4-18) from 3-point range. Jenna Zeman led the Falcons with 22 points and six rebounds, while Justice added 15 points. Cassie Heinrichs added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Ripon will try to continue to build momentum in the early season on Saturday when they'll battle the host of the tournament, UW-Eau Claire, at 5 p.m. in Eau Claire, Wis. That game can be seen live at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/uwec/.