Box Score
BELOIT, Wisconsin – The Prairie Fire went nine minutes without a field goal in the second half and dropped a 76-54 Midwest Conference game at Beloit College on Saturday.

Knox overcame a 13 point first half deficit and grabbed 38-37 lead on a basket by sophomore Robert Suntken (Naperville, IL, Naperville Central) with 18:26 left in the game.  The Buccaneers (4-8, 3-4 MWC) regained the lead with a basket on the next possession.

The Prairie Fire (4-8, 2-5 MWC) trailed 30-17 at the 5:38 mark.  Sophomore Mike Martin (Metamora, IL, Metamora) and senior Mitch Murphy (Bushnell, IL, Bushnell-Prairie City) hit back-to-back 3-pointers to close the gap to seven.  Beloit regained a double-digit lead at 35-25 before Knox closed the half with an 8-0 surge on five straight points by Martin and a long 3-point heave by Suntken that beat the buzzer to make it 35-33.

Martin had a big first half with 17 points, nine of them coming from beyond the arc.

The Prairie Fire stayed close by hitting five 3-pointers to Beloit's three and holding an 8-4 edge at the free throw line.

The Buccaneers began the second half with a dunk that pushed the advantage to four.  Suntken scored five consecutive points on the other end to give Knox its first and only lead of the game.

Beloit scored five in a row to go up 42-38 before Murphy splashed a 3-pointer to keep the Prairie Fire within a point with 16:29 to go.  The Buccaneers stretched the lead to 47-42 when Suntken hit another clutch trey followed by a free throw from first-year Orlando Brown (Chicago, IL, Hinsdale South) that allowed Knox to stay within one, 47-46, with 13:11 remaining.

The Prairie Fire did not score another field goal until Brown hit a jumper with 4:51 left, a nine minute stretch during which Beloit put the game out of reach with a 19-4 run.

The Bucs held Knox to just six field goals and 30 percent shooting in the second half.  The Prairie Fire shot 34 percent overall and committed 24 turnovers.  Beloit connected on 58 percent from the floor after halftime and finished at 51 percent.

Martin's 17 first half points led Knox in scoring.  Suntken dropped in 15 points and first-year Caylab Herrera (Middletown, DE, Middletown) was also in double-figures with 10.  Murphy pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

The Prairie Fire return to Memorial Gym to face Grinnell College (6-6, 4-3 MWC) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.