Galesburg, IL – The Prairie Fire began Midwest Conference play with a 79-55 loss to Lake Forest College on Sunday at Memorial Gym.

Knox (0-3, 0-1 MWC) led 15-14 on a jumper by first-year Alycia Webster (Allen Park, MI, Melvindale) with 12:40 remaining in the first half.  The Foresters responded with an 8-0 run for a 22-15 advantage at the 9:26 mark.

A bucket by sophomore Jessica Howard (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg) less than a minute later pulled the Prairie Fire within five at 22-17.  Lake Forest (2-1, 1-0 MWC) scored eight of the next nine points to extend the lead to 30-18 with 6:23 before the break.

Another basket by Webster with 57 seconds in the half trimmed the LFC lead to 39-32.  The Foresters knocked down a shot shortly before the first half buzzer went off for a 41-32 lead at the intermission.

The Prairie Fire fought back to within four at 53-49 with 10:03 to play in the game.  Lake Forest went on an 18-5 run over the next 6:30 to build its lead to 17 points at 71-54.  Knox never got any closer than 16 points after that.

The Prairie Fire shot 25 percent in the second half and 30 percent overall, including 6-for-35 (17 percent) from 3-point range.  Knox also struggled from the free throw line, connecting on 11-of-24 attempts, and committed 30 turnovers.

The Foresters shot 56 percent in the opening half and finished at 54 percent.  Lake Forest didn’t fare particularly well at the foul line either, hitting 7-of-13 shots, and turned the ball over 28 times.

Webster scored 12 points to lead Knox on offense.  Alex Messacar paced Lake Forest with 16 points.

The Prairie Fire resumes play on Wednesday against Grinnell College.  The game tips off at 5:00 p.m.  Live streaming on the Web begins at 4:50 p.m. at http://www.flickr.com/photos/knoxcollege/sets/72157632098543611

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