The Knox College women's basketball team took on a difficult task as it faced off against ninth-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for the first-time ever Saturday afternoon at the Warhawks' Kachel Gymnasium. The host's efficient shooting and dozen 3-pointers were too much for the Prairie Fire (3-4) this afternoon as UWW (6-1) rolled to a 91-49 victory.
UW-Whitewater backed up their high national rank early, going on a 15-3 run to start the game. The Warhawks continued shooting an impressive 51.7 percent from the field, and 60 percent from 3-point land throughout the first quarter. The Prairie Fire tightened up defensively in the second quarter, only allowing 17 points. Kylee Callahan and Bria Medina's 16 combined first-half points were able to kick-start a bit of offense for Knox, but the Prairie Fire still found themselves down, 50-27, heading into halftime.
The Prairie Fire offense showed strong signs coming out of the locker room for the third quarter. Medina's seven third-quarter points helped keep the Prairie Fire's offense afloat. Turnovers were Knox's kryptonite this afternoon, with eight of Knox's 25 turnovers coming in the fourth quarter. The Warhawks were able to capitalize on these errors, with 34 points off turnovers. Kacie Carollo's 23 points (4-of-6 from three), eight rebounds, and six assists for the Warhawks were ultimately too much for Knox
- Medina and Callahan led the way for the Prairie Fire with 13 points and 12 points, respectively.
- UW-Whitewater's Bri McCurdy and Renee Rittmeyer both added 15 points each to help Carollo's efforts.
- Nayeli Nidez Acuña's eight points and Sarina Dacio's seven points also offered some help on offense for the Prairie Fire this afternoon.
- The 25 turnovers are a season-high for the Prairie Fire, surpassing their previous high of 18 miscues against Coe in the second game of the season.
- This was a rare kind of loss for the Prairie Fire having not suffered this large a margin of defeat in almost a decade.
Knox (0-1 in the Midwest Conference) will now look to bounce back after two consecutive losses as they face the league leader, Lawrence University (5-2, 2-0 MWC), on Wednesday Dec. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Memorial Gymnasium. A live stream and stats for the match can be found at PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College athletics.