BELOIT, Wis. — The Beloit College women's basketball team faced a challenging shooting night at Flood Arena this evening, falling to Midwest Conference powerhouse Ripon College, 79-25.
Despite a difficult offensive outing against a stout Red Hawks (6-2, 1-0 MWC) defense, the Buccaneers (3-5, 1-1 MWC) saw hustle from their starters and contributions from the bench as they navigated their second conference matchup of the season.
While the Buccaneers struggled to find the bottom of the net, shooting just 20 percent from the field, Hailey Johnson (South Milwaukee, Wis.) provided stability from the free-throw line. Johnson went a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, finishing with a team-high 4 points and securing 3 rebounds.
Bailey Darneal (Colorado Springs, CO) worked hard on both ends of the floor, logging over 22 minutes of play. She tallied 3 rebounds, an assist, and scored Beloit's first basket of the game on a driving layup in the first quarter.
The Beloit bench also looked to provide a spark, particularly in the second half. Amaya Bridgewater (Milwaukee, Wis.), Aina Mallorqui (Valls, Spain), Kaelie Moreno (Yorkville, Ill.), and Sophia Corley (New Albany, Ind.) all chipped in 3 points apiece. Mallorqui connected on Beloit's only three-pointer of the night, while Corley converted an and-one play in the fourth quarter.
The game opened with Ripon applying heavy defensive pressure, forcing Beloit into a scoring drought for the first two and a half minutes. Ripon established an early rhythm, jumping out to a 10-0 lead before Darneal broke the ice for the Bucs with a layup in the paint at the 7:38 mark.
Momentum proved difficult for Beloit to sustain, as Ripon capitalized on turnovers to fuel their transition offense. The Red Hawks scored 28 points off Beloit's 30 turnovers, preventing the Bucs from stringing together consecutive scoring possessions.
However, Beloit showed resilience coming out of the locker room. While the third quarter was offensively quiet, the Buccaneers found a bit more rhythm in the fourth quarter. The final period was Beloit's highest-scoring frame of the night (8 points), as the team continued to attack the basket despite the deficit. Defensively, Beloit held Ripon to their lowest shooting percentage of the game (38.9%) in the fourth quarter.
The Buccaneers are set to host Rockford University of Friday night, a make up from the game that was postponed at the end of November. Tip off from Flood Arena is set for 6:30 pm.
