Box Score
The Prairie Fire defense held Illinois College, the Midwest Conference's best shooting team, in check during a low scoring first half, but the Blueboys got on track in the second half and posted an 80-68 victory Saturday night at Memorial Gym.
Illinois College (11-5, 7-5 MWC) snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. I-C lost all three games on the road, including a double-overtime setback a week ago at #15 St. Norbert College -- the day after the Prairie Fire (1-16, 0-12 MWC) lost an 89-86 heartbreaker at Lawrence University. The defeat was the 16th in a row for Knox, which continues to play hard each time out and have impressive moments during games.
Both teams struggled to find the range in the first half. The Blueboys forced the third tie of the game at 6-6 with 15:48 to play on a basket by sophomore guard Nathan Kohler, a Kewanee native who attended Wethersfield High School. The Prairie Fire led 7-6 when junior Tanner Carlson (Annawan, Illinois) split a pair of free-throws. A three-point basket by reserve Brandon Berry on the Blueboys' next possession gave I-C a 9-7 advantage that would ultimately force Knox to play catch-up the rest of the night.
I-C followed with a 19-9 run that included a dunk on the baseline by 5'11" jumping jack Jacob Tucker that energized the Blueboys. Tucker scored nine points during the run, which gave his team a 28-16 lead at the 4:26 mark of the first half.
The Prairie Fire chipped away, scoring the final four points of the half to stay within reach at 28-20. Illinois College, leading the conference with a 51 percent shooting percentage entering the game, shot a shade under 41 percent in the first half and made only 4-of-9 free-throws. The Prairie Fire, however, managed just seven field goals and missed all 10 three-point attempts for a 24 percent shooting effort.
Both teams shot much better in the second half: I-C 61.5 percent (16-of-26) and Knox 56 percent (18-of-32). The Blueboys scored 14 of the first 23 points in the second half to build a 13-point lead, 42-29, with 16:00 to play. After extending the advantage to 17 at 56-39 with 9:36 to play, the Prairie Fire made a run. Knox outscored I-C 10-2 over the next 2:49. Sophomore Lukas Shaw (Portland, Oregon) and senior Roger Ortiz (Houston, Texas) combined for eight points during the span.
Illinois College came back with three straight baskets in a little over a minute to forge ahead 64-49. The Fire got as close as 10 (78-68) with 28 seconds left in the game.
I-C wound up shooting 51 percent, equaling its season average. The Prairie Fire finished at 41 percent. The Blueboys outscored Knox 21-9 from three-point range, 19-15 at the foul line and received 23 points off of the bench to 11 for Knox. The Prairie Fire forced Illinois College into 13 turnovers while committing just 10 in the game.
Kohler was especially problematic for the Prairie Fire. He made 9 of his 13 shots and led everyone with 24 points while dishing out five assists. The leading scorer for the Blueboys, Craig Bals, scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half. Berry, who made 2-of-4 shots from long range, added 16 points and Tucker scored 13 points. He also contributed team-highs of eight rebounds and five assists.
Carlson, coming off of a career-high 28 point game at Beloit last Saturday, again paced the Prairie Fire offense with 18 points. Junior Joe Kozak (Park Ridge, Illinois) had 14 points, junior Ben Wetherbee (Sydney, Australia) chipped in with 13 and Shaw had a double-double by scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Knox was without the services of first-year forward David Jones (8.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg). The Denver, Colorado native had a big game against his team's next opponent, Grinnell College, the last time the squads played at Darby Gym. Jones scored a career-high 32 points in the Prairie Fire's 132-120 loss December 8.
Grinnell (11-6, 6-6 MWC) defeated Lake Forest College 87-76 Saturday night at home, the Pioneers' third straight victory. Grinnell made just 9-of-31 three-point shots in the game against the Foresters but outscored Lake Forest 24-10 at the free-throw line, including 22-7 in the second half after the teams played to a 33-33 tie in the first half.
Grinnell leads the Midwest Conference in scoring and is among the national leaders, averaging 111 points per game while surrendering 101.4. The Pioneers have been a different team away from Darby Gym. Grinnell is 8-1 at home and 2-5 on the road. The Pioneers are averaging 101 points per game, or 10 below their season average, in road contests.
The Prairie Fire and the Pioneers play Tuesday night at 7:00 at Memorial Gym.
Knox, while trying to snap a 16-game losing streak this season, is also trying to stop a nine-game slide against Grinnell that dates back to the 2005-06 season. The Fire's last victory against the Pioneers was a 114-113 triumph on January 24, 2006 at home.
