GALESBURG, Ill. — For a while, it seemed that the powers that be didn't want the men's basketball game between Knox College and visiting Franklin College to ever end. Delayed 50 minutes by a partial power outage, the game was not decided until two overtime periods with Franklin (3-0) outlasting the Prairie Fire (2-1) by a final of 93-84.

Trailing by seven with 1:54 to play in the second half, Knox battled back and got back to even when junior Josh Stewart converted two free throws with five second to play. The Prairie Fire then survived two Grizzlies shots that were off the mark before the horn sounded, sending the game into overtime.

Knox quickly jumped out to a four-point lead on short jumpers in the paint by junior Denim Tuala-Fata and Stewart. But Franklin kept it close before taking a two-point lead on a 3-pointer by Cooper Matthews with just under a minute left in the extra period. Again the Prairie Fire knotted the game, this time at 79 apiece, when sophomore B.J. Cooley scored on a putback with 24 seconds to go. Matthews tried to end the game with an off-balance jumper, but could not find the mark.

Stewart, who led Knox with 20 points, gave Knox the lead one final time with a layup for an 81-80 lead, only to have the Grizzlies put together a 10-0 run that left them up by nine with 38 seconds to play. There would be no third overtime as Franklin maintained its advantage until the buzzer sounded.

In the first half, Knox enjoyed a strong shooting performance from the floor, hitting 53.6 percent (15-of-28), to build up a 36-26 lead. Neither team was effective at the line, however, with the Fire hitting 4-of-9 (.444) and Franklin a woeful 3-of-12 (.250). But the Grizzlies turned up the defensive pressure in the second stanza, forcing a number of turnovers to quickly get back to even after barely four minutes. Although Franklin eventually took the lead for the first time all game at 50-49 with 8:45 to play and built that advantage to seven points, Knox would not go quietly.

• Both Stewart (20 points, 10 rebounds) and senior Russell Wright (10 points, 12 rebounds) registered double-doubles, and sophomore Ryan Erdos was one point shy of the first of his career (nine points, career-high 10 boards).
• First-year Ayden Ayer added 16 points on 6-of-7 from the floor with one of the Prairie Fire's three 3-pointers.
• The Prairie Fire ended the game shooting 47.9 percent (34-of-71) on field goals, but only 30.0 percent (6-of-20) in the two overtime periods.
• Both teams shot 56.5 percent at the foul line, though Franklin had twice the number of attempts (26-of-46).
• Knox boasted a 52-38 advantage on the glass, but turned the ball over 26 times that led to 22 Franklin points.
• The Grizzlies' Justin Harrington led all players with 23 points.

Knox will be back in action in Memorial Gymnasium on Tuesday, Nov. 18 when Eureka College (1-3) comes to town for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The game will be live streamed with stats available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College Athletics.