WAVERLY, Iowa — Opening its season at the Wartburg Tip-Off Tournament, the Knox College women's basketball team went toe-to-toe with the host school — ranked 14th among Division III schools in the preseason coaches' poll — for the first half, but were unable to keep up after the intermission in an 84-61 loss on Friday evening at Levick Arena.

The Prairie Fire (0-1) offense was on fire in the first quarter as they took a 23-21 lead, thanks in part to converting all nine free-throw attempts in the stanza with junior Bria Medina providing 11 points. In the second quarter, Knox quickly added to its lead on a bucket by sophomore Nayeli Nidez Acuña and three points the hard way from Medina, making it a 28-21 score.

The lead was still seven, 33-26, after a 3-point play by Nidez Acuña, but the host Knights (1-0) flipped that difference with a 15-1 run. The Fire rallied to close the gap to one by halftime with sophomore Izzy Robinson converting 3-of-4 at the line in the final 10 seconds, leaving Wartburg with a slim 43-42 lead at the break.

But nothing went right for Knox in the fateful third quarter as the Knights outscored their guests by a 23-5 margin as the Prairie Fire hit just two field goals and turned the ball over 10 times. Wartburg continued to add on to its lead in the fourth quarter, peaking at 27 points, before Knox knocked down the final two field goals of the game.

• Medina finished the contest with 23 points on 8-of-19 shooting and 7-of-9 from the foul line.
• Senior Kylee Callahan produced a double-double with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, plus dished out fie assists, leaving two shy of breaking the Prairie Fire career record.
• Nidez Acuña was the other Knox player to score in double figures with 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws.
• Senior and Galesburg native Carly Smith hauled in 10 rebounds and had the lone Prairie Fire block in her first game for Knox.
• Part of the Prairie Fire's undoing was an inability to get their shots from the perimeter to fall as the team misfired on all 13 of its 3-point attempts while the Knights hit 10-of-30 from downtown.
• Knox held a 52-46 edge on the boards but turned the ball over 26 times compared to 16 for Wartburg.

Knox will play again tomorrow afternoon against future Midwest Conference school Luther College to conclude the Wartburg Tip-Off Tournament. The game tips off at 1 p.m. with a live stream and stats available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College athletics, courtesy of Wartburg.