GALESBURG, Illinois—The Prairie Fire put up a good fight in the second half, but ultimately could not close the gap enough against Ripon.

Knox (1-8, 0-4 MWC) outscored the Red Hawks 38-37 in the second half, but faced a 14-point deficit at halftime.  The Prairie Fire pulled to within five with about 5:00 left to play before tailing off to end the game.

Caylab Herrera (Middletown, DE, Middletown) again led the Prairie Fire attack with 18 points and nine boards. DJ Lewis (Chino Hills, CA, Chino Hills) added 12 points to join Herrera in double figures. Knox finished with fewer turnovers than Ripon, but also grabbed fewer boards.

The Prairie Fire will return to action on January 6 at Cornell. The game starts at 5:30 p.m.