GALESBURG, Illinois—The Knox Prairie Fire men's basketball team defeated the Monmouth Fighting Scots at home by a final score of 90-65. It was the largest margin of victory over the Monmouth since a 98-69 victory in 1970-71. With the win, Knox has won two of their past three, and looks to build some momentum as they head into the final stage of their season.
In the first half, Knox played some of their most dominant basketball of the season. Overwhelming the Monmouth defense at every turn, they shot an incredible 56.8% from the floor, and went 7-for-16 from beyond the arc. Jordan Rayner continued his hot streak as he scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting while dishing out four assists in the process. Ethan Meeker also hit a pair of threes for the Prairie Fire to secure 10 points for himself, as Knox used their efficient offense to dominate possession. Defensively, the team limited Monmouth to 26 points in the half, and as a result they led by almost 30 points as the halftime whistle blew.
The second half saw Knox play a more conservative game as they attempted to maintain their lead. Meeker put up 11 more points as he took the reins on offense, guiding the team through lean stretches. While the team cooled off in their three point shooting, they made up for it with their time of possession, as they held Monmouth to relatively few possessions. The Prairie Fire defense forced 13 turnovers in the half and managed to be disruptive the entire half. As a result, the two teams played relatively even, with Knox maintaining their comfortable lead.
Rayner finished with 24 points to lead the Prairie Fire. Meeker added 21 points, while Matthew Leary put up 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Ikenna Ozor rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. Zach Lowe scored nine points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
"It is always great to win at home," said head coach Ben Davis. "It is even sweeter when it's against your rival. We played well in all facets of the game. We need to build on this and finish the season on a high note."
Knox looks forward to their basketball reunion this Saturday when they host Beloit College at 1:00 p.m.
