GALESBURG, Illinois - The Knox Prairie Fire men's basketball team fell to the Principia Panthers this Saturday by a final score of 71-54. With the loss, Knox's record on the season evens up at 3-3 as they begin a two game stretch of Midwest Conference play.

The first half had an impressive display by the Prairie Fire defense. Knox limited Principia's vaunted offense to just 27 points as they stretched out possessions on both offense and defense. The Prairie Fire refused to let the Panthers consistent shooting phase them, as they continued to press and harass their shooters on the perimeter at a consistent rate throughout the half. Offensively, Knox was led by Jordan Rayner and Matt Garife's smooth shooting, as each player buoyed the offense whenever they needed a quick bucket. As the halftime horn sounded, the Prairie Fire found themselves down by a hard fought four points.

Knox's defense was unable to maintain their momentum in the second half, however, as Principia's crisp shooting finally wore them down. Despite continuing to pressure the Panthers, their shots continued to fall, and the Prairie Fire were forced to play catch up. Cade Faber did a valiant job on the boards, leading the team with 7 rebounds. Even though Knox shot 48% from the field, their poor shooting from the free throw line meant they were unable to close the gap, and they fell to the Panthers.

"Principia is very aggressive on defense and it showed tonight," said head coach Ben Davis. "We played well in the first half, but we need to shoot better from the line if we want to beat teams."

Knox looks to get back their winning record when they travel to Lawrence this Wednesday to play the Vikings at 4:00 p.m.