GALESBURG, Illinois - The Knox College Prairie Fire men's basketball team defeated the Cornell Rams by a final score of 82-58 at home. The victory is their first in conference play, and moves their overall record to 5-7 on the season.
 
In the first half, Knox's offense experienced an explosive outburst, cutting to the rim with ease and coolly draining their shots. They shot 62.8% from the field in the half, with Zach Lowe going 4-for-4, including two shots from beyond the arc, to put up 12 points and four rebounds in the half. Jordan Rayner also had impressive numbers, as he went 3-for-7 with two three-pointers of his own to get himself 10 points. Defensively, the Prairie Fire didn't force a large amount of turnovers, but they made up for this by smothering the Ram offense. Cornell only managed to shoot 39.3% from the field, including only 2-11 from downtown. As a result, Knox entered the half up by 15 points.
 
The Prairie Fire's impressive all-around performance continued in the second half, as their superior depth gave them a large advantage over Cornell. Rayner again repeated his impressive performance from the first half, and put up 20 points total on the night. Ethan Meeker also had a nice half, grabbing six points, four assists, and a steal for his efforts. Knox seemed in control throughout the half, and their large lead that they had built up in the first half never seemed in danger. The Prairie Fire would build their lead even more, and as the final whistle blew they had won what turned out to be a very comfortable game.

"This was a big win for us," said head coach Ben Davis. "We have had some very productive practices lately and it showed tonight. Now we just need to be consistent."
 
Knox looks to win their second game in a row this Saturday when they host Lake Forest College.