Box Score Monmouth gave Ripon all the Red Hawks could handle in the Midwest Conference season-opener before the Scots stumbled in the fourth quarter to drop a 73-61 decision on the road.
 
Ripon took an 18-14 first quarter lead, but Monmouth stayed with the Hawks, trimming the margin to three, 39-36, by halftime. Trailing for the entire second quarter, the Scots never trailed by more than six in the first half, and cut the margin to one at 28-27 on  a Carley Turnbull  3-pointer with 3:11 left in the half. Another 3-ball, this one from Jeni Crain in the final minute, kept the Scots within one until the end of the first half.
 
The Scots fell behind briefly by as many as seven points in the third quarter, but four straight points by Crain, a layup and two free throws, narrowed the gap to three, 45-42 midway through the frame. A Keri Dodson bucket in the lane with 1:36 to play in the third pulled Monmouth within one at 50-49, but that would be as close as the Scots would get after Ripon opened the final quarter with an 8-2 run.
 
Crain dialed in a game-high 16 points while Turnbull added 15 and Shayne Smith 14.
 
Monmouth meets Beloit on the Bucs home court Saturday at 3 p.m.