Box Score
St. Norbert College took advantage of a seven-plus minute scoring drought by the Prairie Fire in the second half to build an insurmountable double digit lead and win its fourth Midwest Conference game without a loss 63-38 Saturday in DePere, Wisconsin.
The Green Knights (6-1, 4-0 MWC) held the Fire to four points five minutes into the game, followed by a 10-4 run to take a 23-8 lead with 11:55 to play before halftime. The Prairie Fire chipped away and cut the Knight lead to 29-23 with 12 seconds left in the half. SNC split a pair of free throws for a 30-23 advantage at the intermission.
Knox made 8-of-20 (40 percent) shots, including a three-point basket by junior Steph Nunez (Mokena, Illinois) off the bench, to St. Norbert's 38 percent shooting (11-of-29). Free throw shooting was about even as Knox made 6-of-9 and the Knights hit 5-of-8 from the stripe.
Things looked good for the Prairie Fire at the 17:56 mark when sophomore Kristin McDonald (Chicago, Illinois) made a free throw to get her team within six at 32-26. Unfortunately for the Fire, the shooting went cold as St. Norbert's defense turned it up a notch and the Knights made their run.
The Prairie Fire (2-5, 1-3 MWC) didn't score again until sophomore Sara Johnson (Grinnell, Iowa) made a layup at the 10:45 mark of the game -- or over a seven minute stretch -- while St. Norbert built an 18 point lead (46-28). The Green Knights put the game away by scoring 11 of the next 12 points to go up 57-29.
The Green Knights held the Fire to 4-of-20 shooting and forced 15 turnovers in the second half. The Prairie Fire shot 12-of-40, or 30 percent for the game. SNC finished at 39 percent overall (24-of-61) after shooting 41 percent in the second half.
No Prairie Fire player scored in double figures. Senior Jenny Haskell (Murphys, California) scored all 8 of her points in the first half. Junior Kelly Ricketts (Galesburg, Illinois) added eight points and seven rebounds and junior Krystyna Williams (Evanston, Illinois) contributed seven points and 10 rebounds.
Erin Baganz led four SNC players in double figures with 14 points.
St. Norbert's defense in Midwest Conference play has been smothering. The Green Knights are holding opponents to 42.5 points per game and twice have allowed fewer than 40.
The Prairie Fire finished the week with a split after winning at Grinnell (63-62) December 8. Knox returns home December 15 after four straight road games to play a Midwest Conference contest against Lawrence University. The tip-off from Memorial Gym is at 5:00 p.m.
The Vikings are off to an 0-6 start, including an 0-2 mark in league play. The two MWC losses, against Illinois College and Lake Forest, have been by a combined 63 points. Lawrence's last two games, played in Florida, have been much closer than that -- a 60-53 defeat at Clearwater Christian last Friday and a 59-57 loss against Southeastern University December 8.
