OSHKOSH, Wis. – The University of Minnesota Morris women's basketball team fell 77-55 to (RV) Ripon College in its final game of the BSN Winter Classic on Monday afternoon in Oshkosh, Wis.
 
Maddy Grove opened the scoring with a two-point jumper after coming away with a steal. Grace Perry added to the scoring with Claire Stark assisting on the basket. Ripon scored its first points of the game three minutes in, but Stark answered right back by knocking down a three-pointer—her first made attempt from beyond the arc this season. After a timeout midway through the quarter, the Red Hawks tied the game at 7-7. Brooke Ver Steeg gave the Cougars the lead with a made free throw, but Ripon scored on back-to-back possessions to take its first lead of the game and close the quarter ahead 13-8.
 
The Red Hawks started the second quarter with a quick steal and basket. The first four shots of the quarter were made, with Stark and Grove scoring for UMM. Perry connected from deep to cut the deficit to two, and Grove followed with a jump shot to tie the game at 17-17, forcing a Ripon timeout. Out of the timeout, Ripon strung together seven straight points to reclaim the lead. Anna Myers ended the run with a layup. The Red Hawks pushed the lead to 13 before Grove hit a three to cut into the deficit. Points from Shelby Mortenson and Perry kept the Ripon lead at 10 entering halftime.
 
Stark made a free throw for the first point of the third quarter, but Ripon regained its double-digit lead with a three-pointer. Gianna Klarenbeek got on the board with a jump shot, and a few minutes later Mortenson broke up a Minnesota Morris scoring drought by going 2-for-2 from the line. Grove completed a three-point play to help keep pace with the Red Hawks. Down the stretch, Myers and Perry added to the scoring with two free throws and a three-pointer, respectively. The teams traded free throws to end the quarter with Ripon leading 55-42.
 
Minnesota Morris matched the scoring early in the final quarter. Perry opened with a two-point jumper, followed by a layup from Grove and capped off by a three-pointer from Perry. Ver Steeg made a layup to bring the deficit down to 11. Ripon closed out the game on an 11-2 run, with Perry scoring the Cougars' final points, as the Red Hawks secured the 77-55 victory.
 
Grove finished with a game-high 20 points, marking her sixth game this season with 20 or more points. Perry followed with a season-high 18 points and led the team in shooting, going 6-for-8 from the field, 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. Stark led the team with three assists.
 
Defensively, Perry totaled six rebounds, while Stark and Ver Steeg each added five. UMM tallied 10 steals, with Grove, Klarenbeek, and Perry recording two apiece. The Cougars blocked six shots, led by Mortenson with two.
 
Minnesota Morris will begin Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play on Jan. 7 as it travels to Martin Luther College for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.