MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's women's basketball team is hoping the third time is a charm as its heads into the Midwest Conference Tournament at Weiske Gymnasium in Ripon, Wis.
 
Coach Brent Brase's No. 4 seed Rams (14-10) get their third crack this month at upending regular-season champion and top-seeded Ripon (21-4) in Friday's semifinal at 5 p.m.
 
No. 2 seed Lawrence (18-7) and No. 3 seed Grinnell (18-7) meet in Friday's second semifinal at 7 p.m. The championship game is 3 p.m. Saturday with the winner earning the MWC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
Fans can follow the tournament action via live stats and live video.
 
The host Red Hawks enter on a 12-game winning streak that includes wins over Cornell on Feb. 1 (73-47) and Feb. 11 (77-54). Ripon has outscored its opponents this season by an average margin of 19.4 points per game.
 
Cornell played its way into the tournament with two wins last week, highlighted by a 76-67 home comeback over Knox in Saturday's regular-season finale. The Rams won the tiebreaker over Knox on a coin flip that awarded Cornell its ninth postseason berth since 2013.
 
The Rams' last MWC Tournament appearance was 2023, when they fell 77-54 in the semifinals to Knox. Cornell has reached the MWC championship game five times since 2013, claiming titles in 2018 and 2013.
 
Friday marks the first time the Rams have faced Ripon in the MWC Tournament. The Red Hawks have won the last 13 matchups in the series.
 
The young Rams have five first-year players who log at least 10 minutes per game, led by dynamic forward Erin Knowles who has broken the school record for points scored in a season with 461. Knowles averages an MWC-best 19.2 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds while shooting 50.3 percent from the field.
 
First-year Reagan Wells averages 11.3 points and 2.4 assists. Junior Tenley Cavanagh (38), sophomore Heidi Jorgensen (37) and Wells (35) all rank among the MWC's top 10 in made 3-point goals.
 
The Rams split two games with Grinnell in the regular season and went 0-2 against Lawrence.
 
Ripon has captured three of the past five MWC Tournament titles. Senior Ella Ten Pas paces the Red Hawks at 13.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
 
Lawrence is making its first postseason appearance since 2007. Grinnell is back in the four-team for the first time since 2017.