Ripon, WI – The Prairie Fire concluded stretch of four road games in seven days with Midwest Conference loss on Saturday against Ripon College.

Knox (4-16, 4-111 MWC) began the game’s scoring with a pair of made free throws by first-year Becky Duffy (Chicago, IL, Northside Prep) for a 2-0 lead just 14 seconds in.  The Red Hawks countered with a 3-point basket on the next possession by Sia Gonyo that was created by an offensive rebound to go up 3-2. 

Ripon (10-10, 9-6 MWC), who led by as many as 20 points at 49-29 with 2:52 remaining, never gave up the lead from that point and built a 52-38 advantage at halftime.  Knox ended the half on a 9-3 run to reduce the deficit to 14.

The Prairie Fire struggled to shoot the basketball, making just 9-of-42 (21 percent) field goals in the first stanza.  Knox was able to stay within striking distance by knocking down 16-of-25 shots from the foul line

The Red Hawks made 18-of-38 (47 percent) first half shots and all three 3-point attempts while sinking 13-of-17 free throws.  Ripon also outscored the Fire 26-10 in the paint, and despite Knox liking to play at a fast tempo, the Red Hawks held an 18-2 advantage in fast break points.

Duffy came down with an offensive rebound on Knox’s first possession of the second half and was fouled.  She split a pair of free throws to get her team within 52-39.  The Prairie Fire, after falling behind 58-41 at the 18:16 mark, answered with five straight points over the next 1:21 to make it a 58-46 contest.

A 6-0 run by Ripon to extend the Hawks’ advantage to 64-46 with 12:43 remaining quelled any hopes of a Knox comeback.  Ripon sealed the victory with a 31-8 burst for the biggest lead of the game at 95-57 with 4:41 to go.

The Red Hawks tied a school record with the 107-point effort and defeated the Prairie Fire for the seventh straight time.  Ripon leads the all-time series with Knox 24-3.

Knox finished the game shooting 19-of-71 (27 percent), including 9-of-38 (24 percent) from 3-point distance, while sinking 23-of-34 foul shots.  The Fire committed 35 turnovers in the game and forced 27.

Two Knox players scored in double-figures.  First-year Jodi Marver (Northbrook, IL, Glenbrook North) and senior Krystyna Williams (Evanston, IL, Evanston Township) shared team-high honors with 10 points apiece.  Sophomore Grace Theisen (Minneapolis, MN, Southwest) led Knox on the boards with eight rebounds.

Ripon made 42-of-77 shots (54.5 percent) and went 5-for-7 from 3-point range.  The Red Hawks were 18-of-26 from the free throw line.   Ripon was led in scoring by Erin Lind.  Lind had 18 points led everyone with 13 rebounds, giving her a double-double.

The win, Ripon’s third in a row, moved the Red Hawks into a three-way tie for third place in the Midwest Conference.  Ripon, Grinnell (lost at St.Norbert 51-35 on Saturday), and Lake Forest (won at Carroll 71-68 in OT on Saturday) each have 9-6 league records.  Carroll is knocking on the door with an 8-6 conference mark.

Carroll plays three of its remaining four regular season games at home, where the Pioneers are 4-2.  Scheduled to play at Van Male Fieldhouse are Ripon (2/8), Beloit (2/15), and Illinois College (2/18) while the lone remaining road game is against MWC leader St. Norbert College (2/11).

The Prairie Fire plays two of its remaining three games at Memorial Gym. 

Knox tries to snap a four-game losing streak on Wednesday, February 8 at 5:30 p.m. against Illinois College (7-12, 7-7).  The Lady Blues are still alive for a berth in the conference tournament after winning four straight games, including a 65-54 victory on Saturday at Lawrence University.

The Fire heads out on the road for the final time this season to play Lake Forest College on February 15.  The home finale against Monmouth College (12-7, 11-3 MWC) follows on February 18 at 3:00 p.m., which is Senior and Parents Night.  The seniors on the squad and their families will be recognized immediately after the game with the Fighting Scots.

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