HONOLULU, HAWAI'I – The Knox College women's basketball team dropped its Hoops in Hawai'i Classic opener to Albion College, 83-69, on Sunday.

The Prairie Fire will be back in action in Hawai'i on Tuesday night, taking on Linfield University at 7:30 p.m. Fans can watch the game HERE and follow the live stats HERE. 

The game was tight to start with Albion leading 6-4 early. Unfortunately for the Prairie Fire (3-7 overall, 2-1 MWC), Albion was strong to end the quarter, going on a 15-8 run to lead after the first, 21-12.

In the second quarter, Albion pushed the advantage to as many as 17, 34-17, before Knox made a mini-run to trail 35-23 at the break. 

In the second half, Knox would draw as close as 10, but could never trim the deficit to single digits.

Bria Medina was the standout performer for the Prairie Fire, leading all scorers with 22 points and displaying consistent offensive pressure. Nayeli Nidez Acuna contributed a strong all-around game, tallying 14 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Izzy Robinson made a significant impact off the bench with 11 points and seven boards, while Kylee Callahan added scoring depth by finishing in double figures with 11 points.

As a team, Knox went 25-63 from the field (39.7 percent), 2-13 from three (15.4 percent), and 17-22 from the line (77.3 percent). Knox outrebounded Albion 41-36. The Prairie Fire scored 12 second-chance points, 36 points in the paint, and 15 points in transition. 

After returning from Hawai'i, Knox is back in action on January 3, visiting Lake Forest. For more on Knox women's basketball and Prairie Fire athletics, visit https://prairiefire.knox.edu/.