BELOIT, Wisconsin—The Prairie Fire men's basketball team lost their first game in their last four attempts, dropping a 71-54 contest at Beloit.

Knox (7-16, 5-11 MWC) got on the board first, but the Bucs quickly jumped out to a 7-2 lead. Midway through the first half, Beloit still held a 16-9 advantage. With 4:38 to play in the first half, Knox cut the deficit to five. However, the Bucs used a 6-0 run to close out the half with a 29-18 lead. The Prairie Fire again scored first in the second half, but Beloit quickly took another double-digit lead and cruised to victory.

Deryk Ruple led Knox with 16 points, hitting four treys. Jonathan Damota pitched in 14 points of his own and Marko Protic grabbed eight boards to lead the Prairie Fire. The big difference in the game was the  Bucs' 48-24 rebound advantage.

Knox will continue their road stretch when the travel to Grinnell on February 13.