Box Score

Beloit College jumped out to a big lead and never looked back, beating the Prairie Fire 86-61 Friday night at Memorial Gym.

The Buccaneers (4-8, 3-4 MWC) snapped a four-game losing skid and earned their first road win of the season in their fifth straight game away from Flood Arena.  The loss marked the 12th straight for the Prairie Fire (1-12, 0-8 MWC) after a season-opening victory November 16 at home against Eureka College.

The Fire scored the first point of the game on a free throw by junior Tanner Carlson (Annawan, Illinois) for the Prairie Fire's only lead of the night.  The Buccaneers' Patrick Kenny sank a three-point basket at the 18:08 mark of the first half and Beloit never looked back. 

A basket by first-year forward David Jones (Denver, Colorado) cut a six point Beloit lead to four at 9-5 with 16:11 to play in the half.  The Bucs followed with a 10-4 run to extend their lead to double digits, 19-9, and essentially cruised from there -- outscoring the Prairie Fire 38-16 the rest of the half to take a commanding 47-21 halftime lead at the intermission.

Beloit extended its lead to 36, the biggest of the game, at 75-39 with 9:07 to play in the game.  Knox got as close as 22 with 57 seconds to play in the game.

The Bucs shot 18-of-36 (50 percent) in the first half while the Fire managed just eight field goals (8-of-22) and shot an uncharacteristic 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) from the foul line.  Knox made 14-of-35 shots in the second half (40 percent) and finished the game at 39 percent to Beloit's 48 percent.

The Bucs, ranked last in the Midwest Conference in three-point field goal shooting (28.2 percent) entering the game, made 10-of-25 baskets from long range against the Prairie Fire's zone defense.

Kenny led Beloit with 16 points.  David Bremner added 15 points and 14 rebounds and Michael Horton scored 15 and had eight assists for the Buccaneers.

Carlson topped all Prairie Fire scorers with 13 points.  Juniors Joe Kozak (Park Ridge, Illinois) and Ben Wetherbee (Sydney, Australia) -- both double-figure scorers going into the game, were held to nine points apiece.

The schedule gets tougher for the Fire with #15 ranked St. Norbert College visiting Memorial Gym Saturday afternoon at 4:00.  The Green Knights (10-3, 6-2 MWC) won 87-73 at Illinois College Friday night to climb back into a tie for the Midwest Conference lead with the Blueboys and Lawrence University. 

Ripon College dropped out of first place after Lake Forest upset the Red Hawks 58-57 Friday night in Lake Forest.