In a close contest, the Knox College women's basketball team surged ahead in the final quarter to overcome Grinnell 52-42 at home on Wednesday.

Knox (7-9 overall, 6-2 in the Midwest Conference) led for all but 15 seconds and only trailed once, but the game remained close until the final minutes. In the closing stretch, a decisive Prairie Fire scoring run gave Knox breathing room and put the game out of reach for Grinnell.

The Prairie Fire, up 37-36 entering the fourth, started with a 9-3 run for a seven-point cushion with 4:59 left.

Grinnell cut the deficit to four, but Kylee Callahan (14 points, seven rebounds) responded with four straight Knox points. Callahan's jumper with 1:03 left increased the Prairie Fire's lead to eight, 50-42, effectively sealing the win and ending Grinnell's comeback hopes.

Bria Medina overcame early foul trouble to lead Knox with 22 points and nine rebounds. With her 22-point performance, Medina moves into second place all-time in scoring in program history.

Points were scarce early as Knox led 11-9 after one quarter. Knox led 21-17 at halftime, with both teams defending well. Grinnell's 19-16 third-quarter advantage cut Knox's lead to one after three, setting up an exciting finish.

Knox's defense dominated, limiting Grinnell to 14-59 shooting (23.7 percent), including 4-27 (14.8 percent) from three, and forcing 18 turnovers with 14 steals.

Offensively, Knox converted 20 of 58 shots (34.5 percent), but rallied to sink 5 of 11 field goals and nail all 5 free throws in the decisive fourth quarter.

The win keeps Knox tied for second in the Midwest Conference with Lawrence entering Saturday's matchup at league leader Ripon (No. 22/17) at 3 p.m. Knox will host Illinois College next Tuesday.