Box Score
The Prairie Fire did little wrong, jumping on Eureka College from the start and cruising past the Red Devils 79-40 for their first win of the season Thursday night at Memorial Gymnasium.
The Fire (1-1) scored 11 of the first 15 points less than four minutes into the game and outscored Eureka 30-11 to close out the first half for a 41-15 lead at the intermission. Knox blistered the nets with an 18-of-34 (53 percent) shooting performance while forcing the Red Devils into 21 turnovers.
The hosts had solid balance in the scoring column at halftime. Senior Jenny Haskell (Murphys, California) scored all eight of her points in the first stanza. She also contributed six rebounds and six assists. Sophomore Sara Johnson (Grinnell, Iowa) scored eight of her team-high 15 points in the first half and junior Kelly Ricketts (Galesburg, Illinois) also had eight first-half points en route to an 11 point, five rebound performance.
The Prairie Fire didn't let up in the second half, outscoring Eureka (0-1) 38-25. The visitors committed 38 turnovers and shot just 28 percent in the game, including 1-of-14 from three-point range. The Fire shot 48 percent (32-of-67) to earn the victory after losing 73-54 in Monday night's season opener at home.
Besides Haskell, Johnson and Ricketts, junior Lynn Mueller (Woodridge, Illinois) and sophomore Kristin McDonald (Chicago, Illinois) scored in double figures for the Prairie Fire. Mueller had 12 points, seven steals and five rebounds while McDonald dropped in 10 points and grabbed five boards.
The bench also contributed big, scoring 23 points for the Fire. Juniors Abby Owens (Grinnell, Iowa) and Krystyna Williams (Evanston) scored eight points apiece. Williams shared team-high rebounding honors with Haskell with six.
The win was a big one for the Prairie Fire ahead of a crucial five-game road trip that begins November 29 at Clarke College. The next four opponents after that are against Midwest Conference teams. Knox visits Ripon College December 3, Carroll University December 4, Grinnell College December 8 and league-favorite St. Norbert College December 11.
Knox plays its Midwest Conference home opener December 15 against Lawrence University at 5:00 p.m. The women's contest against the Vikings will be followed by the Prairie Fire men's conference opener against Lawrence at 7:00 p.m.
