GALESBURG, Illinois - The Knox Prairie Fire men's basketball team fell to the Lake Forest Foresters Saturday afternoon, with a score of 63-60 deciding the game. The loss puts the Prairie Fire's record at 5-9 at the midway point of the season.

Knox's first half saw impressive offensive possessions keep them comfortably in front of the Foresters. The Prairie Fire went 15-for-26 from the floor, with Duane Goodman, Jr.'s 7-for-10 shooting performance on the day giving Knox a lot of breathing room. In addition, Goodman's two 3-pointers gave the Prairie Fire some much-needed offensive spacing. Knox's guards also turned in tough defensive possessions, allowing only a single 3-pointer and causing multiple turnovers with their high-effort play. These factors allowed Knox to enter the half up by 8 points.

Unfortunately for the Prairie Fire, the second half was not as kind on either end of the floor. The Prairie Fire saw their floor spacing from the first half evaporate, and shots they were able to make previously were not falling now. Although Knox was able to get to the charity stripe frequently, they only shot 52.94% from the free-throw line, giving up many potential points in the process. The Foresters also had a much better offensive half, scoring easy layups while utilizing efficient half-court plays. This pushed Lake Forest in front, and despite some last minute scoring by the Prairie Fire, they eventually won the game.

"We slowed down in the second half and didn't make our free throws," said head coach Ben Davis. "It all comes down to execution and today we just didn't execute."

Knox will attempt to shake off their two game losing streak next Wednesday when they travel to Grinnell College at 5:30 p.m.