The first 20 minutes of Monday night's contest between the Knox College and Linfield women's basketball teams was action-packed, back-and-forth basketball.

Unfortunately for the Prairie Fire (3-8 overall, 2-1 in the Midwest Conference), Linfield (8-2) took control in the third quarter and never relented, earning an 82-59 win at the Hoops in Hawai'i Classic.

The pace remained high throughout the first and second quarters, with both teams showing resilience and offensive power.

Building on their early momentum, the Prairie Fire led 22-18 after a quarter behind an 8-13 (61.5 percent) shooting effort. The strong offenses continued in the second period as Knox took a 35-33 lead into the break, having led by as many as eight, 30-22, before Linfield narrowed the gap.

Although Knox performed well in the first half, momentum shifted drastically in the third quarter as Linfield dominated, starting with a 13-0 run and ultimately outscoring Prairie Fire 21-7 in the period.

Linfield's defense tightened in the third, holding Knox to 1-15 (6.7 percent) from the field. Fouls plagued Knox all game, especially in the fourth as the squad tried to fight back; five players had four fouls within the first three minutes of the final frame. Linfield capitalized, making 18-25 free throws in the second half.

In the final quarter, Knox found its offense but could not slow the Wildcats, who outscored the Prairie Fire 28-15.

Bria Medina led Knox and all scorers with 26 points. Medina also led the team in steals (five), assists (three), and rebounds (five). She shared the rebounding honor with Kylee Callahan, who added 11 points. Izzy Robinson also had three assists and six points.

As a team, Knox went 20-52 from the field (38.5 percent), 3-9 from three (33.3 percent), and 16-18 (88.9 percent) from the line. 

Knox returns to action on January 3 at Lake Forest. For more on Prairie Fire women's basketball, visit https://prairiefire.knox.edu/.