RIPON, Wis. -- The second quarter was the difference Wednesday as the Lawrence University women's basketball team dropped a 62-48 Midwest Conference decision to Ripon College at Weiske Gymnasium.
    The game was tied 18-18 heading to the second quarter, but Lawrence connected on just 2-of-13 shots from the floor as Ripon pulled out to a 38-23 advantage at the half.
    Lawrence (10-7, 4-4 MWC) trimmed the lead to 11 points on multiple occasions in the third quarter and closed to 50-40 early in the fourth quarter. That's as close as the Vikings would get as Ripon (11-6, 8-0) kept them at arm's length for the rest of the game.
    Maggie Culver scored a game-high 15 points for the Vikings as she went 7-for-12 from the floor. First-year guard Charlotte Brennan added 12 points for the Vikings.
    Mallory Meyer picked up seven points for the Vikings, and Sophie Morey had a team-high seven rebounds.
    Ripon posted a big advantage on the glass with a 41-29 rebounding advantage. The Red Hawks also had the better of it from the foul line. Despite Lawrence being called for just one more foul than Ripon, the Red Hawks went 14-for-22 from the line while the Vikings were just 6-for-14.
    Lawrence returns to action on Saturday when the Vikings host Monmouth College.