Sangamon Sun

Ripon, Wis. – The Illinois College men's basketball team suffered a 74-62 loss against Ripon in a Midwest Conference match held at Weiske Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

This defeat leaves Illinois College with an overall record of 10-5 and 3-3 in the Midwest Conference, while Ripon's record improves to 5-9 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

The game started with Blueboys' player Buzz Ritzel scoring a dunk, but Ripon's Luke Meinholz responded with a three-point field goal, giving the Red Hawks a lead they maintained throughout the game. Ripon extended their lead to as much as 17 points (34-17) during the first half and went into halftime leading by 39-26.

In the second period, Illinois College managed to narrow the gap to seven points on three occasions, with the last instance being at 64-57 with just over three minutes left on the clock. However, they were unable to close in further.

Buzz Ritzel led Illinois College with 15 points. Seth Doss contributed 14 points along with seven rebounds. Ty Lenhardt added 13 points and secured eight rebounds for his team. Jaylen Swinney also scored in double figures, finishing with 11 points.

Illinois College has been successful in recent games, winning 42 of their last 52 matches and securing victories in 59 out of their last 69 games. In Midwest Conference play, they have won 31 of their previous 38 contests. The team is currently navigating through a demanding schedule that includes playing seven out of eight games away from home. In this season's series between Illinois College and Ripon, each team won their respective home games.

Next up for Illinois College is an away game against Knox scheduled for Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., marking another challenge within the Midwest Conference lineup.