Box Score

A close first half made way for a one-sided affair in the second half for the Carroll University women's basketball team, which defeated the Prairie Fire 71-59 in Midwest Conference play Saturday in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

The first 20 minutes featured four ties, three leads for the Prairie Fire (1-4, 0-2 MWC) and four leads for the Pioneers (5-1, 2-0 MWC).  Knox held its final lead at 27-25 with 3:09 to play in the first half before Carroll scored seven of the next nine points to close out the half leading 32-29.

Both teams shot around 43 percent in the opening half.  The Prairie Fire connected on 2-of-4 shots from three point range, the only makes from long distance in the game for the visitors (finished 2-of-7) while Carroll knocked down one three (1-of-4) and shot 2-of-11 from long range overall.  Free throw shooting was about even too.  The Prairie Fire made 3-of-5 and Carroll was 5-of-6.

The run that changed the game for Carroll happened after the Prairie Fire's Jenny Haskell (Murphys, California) scored on a layup at the 18:06 mark to cut the Pioneers' lead to 40-34.  A made free throw by the Fire snapped a scoring drought of about three-and-a-half minutes while Carroll dropped in seven unanswered points during that stretch and extended the lead to 13.  The Prairie Fire couldn't get any closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

Shooting woes again hurt the Fire, which finished at 39 percent while Carroll shot 44.6 percent. Knox also turned the ball over 23 times and was outrebounded by the Pioneers 42-35, including 15 offensive boards by Carroll that led to some second-chance points.

Sophomore Sara Johnson (Grinnell, Iowa) led all scorers with 19 points.  Haskell also reached double figures for the Prairie Fire with 15 points and added eight rebounds.

The Fire looks to snap a three game losing skid Wednesday night at Midwest Conference foe Grinnell College.  The Pioneers have dropped four straight games after winning their season opener 55-54 against Rockford College.  Grinnell is coming off MWC losses Friday at St. Norbert College (88-46) and Saturday at Ripon College (54-42).

The game against the Prairie Fire tips off at 5:00 p.m. Wednesday and is Grinnell's home opener.