RIPON, Wisconsin—The Prairie Fire men's basketball team fell to Ripon 84-80 in their Midwest Conference opener on Friday night.

Knox (1-5, 0-1 MWC) played close with the Redhawks in the early going, but Ripon built up a double-digit lead late in the first half and led 44-33 at halftime.

The Redhawks maintained their double-digit lead through much of the second half, but Knox tied the game at 65-65 with 8:15 left in the game. The Prairie Fire led by four with 3:44 to play, but the Redhawks tied the game at 80-80 with 1:24 and hit a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left to take an 82-80 lead. After a missed three-point attempt by Knox, Ripon hit two more free throws to seal the victory.

Jordan Rayner led the Prairie Fire with 18 points, while Deryk Ruple added 16 points of his own. Blake Godbold and Justin Windt each scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

"It was a very good team effort tonight.  We are starting to play more together which is great to see," said head coach Kevin Walden. "We have to do a better job executing down the stretch for us to win these close games. It is definitely a step in the right direction."

The Prairie Fire continue their MWC road trip on December 1 as they battle St. Norbert.