Box Score

Milwaukee, Wis. – The Prairie Fire fell behind by double-figures in the first half and lost a non-conference game at Milwaukee School of Engineering 80-67 on Monday night.

Knox got off to a good start against the Raiders, scoring the first five points on a 3-pointer by junior Mitch Murphy (Bushnell, IL, Bushnell-Prairie City) and a basket by senior Eric Miller (Villa Park, IL, Willowbrook) for the early lead at the 16:28 mark.

MSOE (5-2) followed with a 10-4 run to take their first lead of the game at 10-9 with 13:05 left in the first half and never trailed again.

The Raiders, who improved to 5-0 at home this season, extended their lead to double-digits at 24-14 about four minutes later.  The Prairie Fire (1-8) cut a 12 point deficit to 34-26 on a lay-up by senior David Jones (Denver, CO, Colorado Academy/Air Force Academy) 3:37 before the break.

MSOE scored five unanswered points to stretch the lead to 13 before a lay-up by first-year Marcellis Davis (Chicago, IL, Curie) cut it to 42-31 at halftime.

The Raiders shot 55 percent in the first half while Knox connected on 39 percent from the field.

The Prairie Fire made one more run, trimming a 14 point deficit early in the second half to 45-36 on a 3-pointer by Murphy and a lay-up by junior Armand Stricklin (Lee's Summit, MO, Lee's Summit West) with 17:32 to play.

MSOE responded with a 24-13 surge over the next 11:00 and built a 69-49 advantage that put the contest out of reach.

The Prairie Fire hit 43 percent of their shots in the second half and finished at 41 percent.  The Raiders cooled off to 39 percent shooting after halftime and wound up at 47.5 percent.  MSOE's bench played a big role in the game, outscoring the Knox reserves 48-22.

Murphy led the Prairie Fire with 16 points.  Jones added 13 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks.  Sophomore Charlie Harned (Webster Groves, MO, Clayton) came off the bench for Knox and contributed eight points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Knox resumes Midwest Conference play at Beloit College on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

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