RIPON, Wis. - Beloit's women's basketball team faced one of their toughest opponents of the season Tuesday night, falling to five-time defending Midwest Conference champion Ripon College by a score of 78-56. The Buccaneers proved they could hang with the Red Hawks, as the game featured three ties and six lead changes in the first half, before Ripon pulled away after halftime.

Trailing by five in the final minutes of the first quarter, Beloit scored the final seven points of that period, capped by a Hannah Welte 3-pointer, to take a 16-14 lead into the second quarter. Ripon's Alison Leslie then sank a 3-pointer to start the second period, which started a 7-0 run for the Red Hawks, who would never trail again. Beloit cut the lead to three on a layup by Addyson Ciochon in the final minutes of the half, but Ripon ended the half on a 7-1 run to take a 37-28 halftime lead.

The third quarter saw Ripon extend their lead, outscoring the Buccaneers 15-5 in that frame. Beloit finished the game shooting 36 percent (20-56), while Ripon made 45 percent (29-65) of their shots. The Red Hawks also outscored Beloit in the paint by a 42-30 margin.

Elizabeth Kalk led the Buccaneers with 21 points, as she continues to lead the MWC in scoring this season with 21.6 points per game. T'Aira Boyance added 15 points and three steals, while Ciochon scored eight points.

Ripon was led by Bonnie Jensen's 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while Skyylar Brescia posted a double-double of 19 points and 17 rebounds. Leslie added 12 points, as she converted 4-of-7 shots from 3-point range.

Beloit will try to rebound on Saturday when they'll travel to Cornell College. That game will begin at 1 p.m. in Mount Vernon, Iowa.