GALESBURG, Illinois—In front of a raucous and roaring crowd, the Prairie Fire took down visiting rivals, the Monmouth Fighting Scots, by a final of 51-47. The game was a close one throughout. There were eight ties and five lead changes throughout the game. The  teams fought in a crucial conference game as the Prairie Fire looked to remain in fourth place in the conference race.
 
In the first half, both teams battled back-and-forth for command of the game. The Prairie Fire were led by battle-tested junior Jarrelyn McCall. In the first half alone, McCall had 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. At the end of the first half, Monmouth led 25-24.
 
The Prairie Fire had a rough start to the third quarter. A quick turnover led to a three-point shot for the Fighting Scots. The Prairie Fire answered with a mid-range jumper by senior Taliah Ellis. Both teams played suffocating defense as the third quarter ended with a score of 37-35.
 
Monmouth went on a mini-run to start the fourth, expanding the lead to 41-35. Two free throws by Morgan Potter helped to settle the Prairie Fire. After a jumper by McCall at the 3:19 mark, the Prairie Fire never let go of the lead. In a very poetic fashion, the game ended with a free throw by leading scorer, Jarrelyn McCall.
 
McCall led the team in scoring with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Karlie Thorn added eight points and pulled down eight rebounds. Potter also scored nine points and grabbed eight boards.
 
"This was a huge win for us with Monmouth coming in undefeated in the league," said head coach Emily Cline. "We were able to hold them to their lowest scoring output of the year."  
 
The Prairie Fire play St. Norbert at home in another conference affair on January 12.