PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Ripon College shot 58.1% in the first half as part of a torrid scoring performance and the Lakeland University women's basketball team fell by an 88-71 score Saturday afternoon at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.

The Muskies faced a second straight tough assignment against a 2022 NCAA Division III Tournament team to start the season. Lakeland shot 49.0% for the game but had few defensive answers as the experienced, deep Red Hawks dictated play and dropped the Muskies to 0-2.

Defending champions of the Midwest Conference and an 18-point winner over UW-Platteville in its season opener, Ripon scored 47 points in the first half and never really cooled off until late, shooting well over 50% until the final minutes. The Red Hawks controlled the paint with a 44-20 advantage in points and a 38-27 rebounding advantage, and also turned 20 Lakeland turnovers into 29 points.

Ripon (2-0 overall) took hold of the game with a 14-3 run to finish the first quarter, leading 22-12 after one period. The rest of the game would see the Muskies periodically making a push only for the Red Hawks to always stretch their lead back out again.

Lakeland got within 26-19 early in the second quarter on a three-pointer by Kerstin Sauerbrei (Jr.-Ripon, Wis.), but Ripon scored the next seven points and its lead never fell below double-digits again. The Red Hawks led 47-35 at halftime, led by 17 early in the third quarter and later scored 10 straight points to take their largest lead at 73-51.

Lakeland crawled back as close as 11 points late, with a three-pointer by Amari Banks (Fr.-Aurora, Ill.) sandwiched around three free throws by Sadie Conway (Jr.-Monroe, Wis.), the last two making it 82-71 with 2:07 left. The Red Hawks would close scoring the game's final six points.

Sauerbrei scored 15 points and made five three-pointers and A.T. Bartlett (Fr.-Farmington Hills, Mich.) added three three-pointers and nine points. Brianna Jones (Sr.-Indianapolis, Ind.) also scored nine points and Kacey Gardner (Sr.-Evergreen Park, Ill.) added eight points plus team highs of six rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Lakeland hit 24 of 49 shots, including 10 of 15 from three-point range, but converted just 13 of 25 from the free throw line (52.0%) and committed 20 turnovers.

Alison Leslie scored 17 points to lead four players scoring in double figures for Ripon, which finished making 30 of 61 field goals (49.2%). Kiana Fall also scored 14 points. The Red Hawks nearly doubled their scoring output from the last time the two teams met, when Ripon won a 45-42 grinder at Lakeland in Nov. 2019.

Lakeland next will take a trip to Copper Country in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, traveling to face Finlandia (Mich.) University Tuesday in Hancock, Mich., at 6:30 p.m. Central time, 7:30 p.m. local time in the U.P.