GALESBURG, Illinois—The Knox Prairie Fire men's basketball team fell to the Grinnell College Pioneers this Saturday by a final score of 115-93. The loss moves their overall record to 2-4, and still leaves them searching for their first conference win.
In the first half, Knox played competitive, efficient basketball. Justin Windt scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the first half alone, with Zach Lowe putting up 10 points of his own. Defensively, the Prairie Fire harassed Grinnell as they tried to deploy their trademark quick shooting and constant barrage of three pointers. The Pioneers only shot 39.1% as a team, and Knox outrebounded them 32-18. Despite the impressive defensive play, Grinnell's reliance on the three-pointer kept them in the lead, as their 7-for-21 performance from beyond the arc meant they entered the half up by four on the Prairie Fire.
Despite Knox maintaining their impressive offensive output in the second half, Grinnell turned their offensive up multiple gears. The Pioneers shot 52.6% as a team, including making 10 three-pointers. Knox was unable to keep up, as they only went 1-for-3 from long range. The increased pace of play seemed to create tired legs on Knox's side, leaving them unable to fully contest many shots. Ikenna Ozor managed to put up seven points to go along with six rebounds off the bench, but it proved to be too little under the weight of Grinnell's offensive might.
Windt finished the game with a team-high 19 points and 15 rebounds. Jordan Rayner added 14 points, while Elijah Crump put up 13. Lowe completed a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Ethan Meeker scored 11 points and dished out 7 assists and Ikenna Ozor scored nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
"We played some good basketball for the majority of the game," said head coach Ben Davis. "We were able to keep Grinnell off balance early, but they keep coming at you. They are always a tough opponent to prepare for and face."
Knox resumes non-conference play when they host Rockford University this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
