MONMOUTH, Illinois - The Prairie Fire men's basketball team lost to Monmouth 86-80 on Wednesday night.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with 11 lead changes and neither team taking more than a five point lead. The Fighting Scots took a 41-39 lead into halftime.

Monmouth hit a three-pointer to begin the second half to take a five point lead, but Knox tied the game at 46-46 with 17:17 to play. Monmouth led over the next five minutes by as much as six points, but the Prairie Fire tied the game again at the 12:27 mark. The same continued over the remainder of the game with Knox tying the game, but never again taking the lead.

Matt Garife led all scorers with 32 points on 12-of-17 shooting. He hit 4-of-7 from long-range. Jordan Rayner added 22 points and Cade Windham chipped in 11 points. Sean Gallery scored seven points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

"We stayed in the game the whole way, but really couldn't get a sustained run going," said head coach Ben Davis. "Monmouth is always a great atmosphere and I am proud of the way we competed tonight."

The Prairie Fire return to action on February 11 as they host Beloit for Senior Day.