GRINNELL, Iowa - The Prairie Fire men's basketball team fell to Grinnell 107-75 in their Midwest Conference opener on Tuesday night.

Knox and the Pioneers played to an early 8-8 tie at the 17:50 mark in the first half. Grinnell began pulling away over the next four minutes and took a 21-11 lead. The Prairie Fire kept the deficit to low double-digits until late in the half, when the Pioneers took a 57-39 lead into halftime.

Knox kept pace with Grinnell in the early portion of the first half, but could not bring the score any closer than a 16 point deficit. The Pioneers began pulling away again late in the half to earn the victory.

Aidan Derry led Knox with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Jordan Rayner added 14 points thanks to a 2-for-3 performance from beyond the arc. Malith Liebwell just missed on a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

"When Grinnell shoots over 40% from three, it's tough to beat them," said head coach Ben Davis. "We didn't shoot well enough in the opportunities we were given, but definitely had some good things with Aidan and Malith having great performances."

The Prairie Fire return to action on December 3 as they travel to Westminster College for non-conference action.