A cold shooting second half dampened Monmouth's attempts at a comeback in Friday's 83-54 loss at Ripon.
 
The Red Hawks hit 60 percent of their first half shots to take a 46-33 halftime lead and stretched the margin in the final 20 minutes. The Scots had ended the opening frame on an up note when Justin Batterton and D.J. Swift – who pumped in a team-high 16 points – combined to score seven points in the final 30 seconds of the half. Batterton followed a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left with a steal and layup followed by a Swift 3-pointer.
 
Dee Hyler drained a 3-ball on the Scots' first possession of the second half on his way to a 12-point night, but Monmouth would make just four more baskets the rest of the way, finishing the game 17-of-43 from the floor. The Scots slipped two games off the Midwest Conference lead, but maintained their hold on second place, one game ahead of Ripon.
 
Monmouth travels to Lawrence Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip.