Galesburg, IL – Lake Forest College used a run in the second half to overcome a double-digit deficit and defeat the Prairie Fire 93-89 in a Midwest Conference game Tuesday at Memorial Gymnasium.

Knox (1-11, 1-6 MWC) forced 25 Lake Forest turnovers in the first half while connecting on seven 3-point baskets and 15-of-18 free throws to build a 48-37 halftime lead.

The Foresters (5-5, 4-2 MWC) led 25-21 with 7:58 remaining in the opening half when the Prairie Fire scored 22 of the next 30 points over the next 7:10 for a 43-33 advantage.  LFC added a field goal and a free throw to trim the deficit to seven (43-36).

Knox scored the last five points of the half on a pair of free throws by senior Krystyna Williams (Evanston, IL, Evanston Township) and a 3-pointer from senior Steph Nunez (Mokena, IL, Lincoln-Way East).

Baskets by first-year Jodi Marver (Northbrook, IL, Glenbrook North) and senior Kelly Ricketts (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg) to begin the second half gave the Prairie Fire a 52-37 lead.  A long 3-pointer by senior Abby Owens (Grinnell, IA, Grinnell) gave Knox its biggest lead at 55-39 with 17:08 to play.

When it seemed the Fire would run away with the game, the Foresters answered with a 16-3 run to get within 58-55 at the 12:39 mark.

Knox responded with a run of its own, outscoring Lake Forest 13-2 over the next 2:30 to extend the advantage to 14 at 71-57.  Twelve of the points were the result of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions by Marver, junior Kristin McDonald (Chicago, IL, Regina Dominican), junior Sara Johnson (Grinnell, Iowa, Grinnell), and first-year Katie White (Peoria, IL, Notre Dame).

The Foresters made their move with a little over 7:00 remaining.  Trailing 77-68, Lake Forest scored 18 of the next 25 points to take an 86-85 lead with 38 seconds to play.

The Prairie Fire, following a timeout, took an 87-86 lead when Williams scored in the post on an out-of-bounds play with 16 seconds in the game.

Sam Schuring, who led all scorers with 20 points, hit a shot with nine seconds to go for an 88-87 advantage.

Lake Forest fouled McDonald with eight seconds on the clock and the Prairie Fire in the double bonus after she caught an inbounds pass, sending her to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game or take the lead.  McDonald, however, missed both free throws.

The Foresters put the game away when Abby Wiedman scored and converted a three-point play after she was fouled with two seconds remaining and LFC up 91-87.

First-year Brittney Price (Wyoming, IL, Stark County) sank two free throws for Knox and Kelly Mehalek hit a pair of foul shots to account for the final points of the contest.

Lake Forest shot 60.5 percent in the second half and 53 percent overall while making 21-of-30 foul shots.   The Prairie Fire forced the Foresters into 39 turnovers, which matched a season-high and led to 34 Knox points.

The Prairie Fire, after shooting 35 percent in the first half, dipped to 28 percent over the final 20 minutes and wound up at 31.5 percent.  Knox finished 12-of-40 from 3-point range and 31-of-43 from the free throw line.  The Fire committed 32 turnovers – 16 in each half – leading to 26 Lake Forest points.

Marver, in a starting role, led three Knox players in double-figures with a season-high 14 points.  She’s scored 10 or more points in three straight games.

McDonald had had a solid game with 12 points on an efficient 3-for-4 shooting – including 3-for-3 from 3-point range – and 3-for-6 from the free throw line.  She also grabbed six rebounds, dished out six assists and had three steals.  Williams chipped in with 12 points and four rebounds.

The loss was the seventh straight for Knox while Lake Forest snapped a three-game slide and won their first road game of the season.

The Prairie Fire plays its next two games on the road, beginning with a trip to Beloit College on Friday at 5:00 p.m.  The Buccaneers (4-7, 1-5 MWC).  Beloit snapped a two-game losing streak and picked up their first MWC victory 71-64 at home on January 7 against Lawrence University (1-10, 1-5 MWC).  The Bucs own a 3-1 record at home.

Knox concludes the trip to Wisconsin with a game at Midwest Conference leader St. Norbert College on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.  The Green Knights (9-3, 7-0 MWC) have won two straight games and seven of their last eight.  SNC defeated Ripon College 56-45 on January 10 in DePere, Wisconsin.

St. Norbert struggled with Knox before coming away with a 90-75 win on December 10 at Memorial Gym.  The Prairie Fire led 66-57 midway through the second half before the Knights closed with a 33-9 run to earn the victory.

The game will be streamed live on www.pennatlantic.com.

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