BELOIT, Wis. – The Knox College men's basketball team played perhaps its finest game of the season on Wednesday night, going on the road to dispatch Beloit College, 77-58. The victory snapped a five-game losing streak and saw the Prairie Fire improve to 6-8 overall and 2-3 in the Midwest Conference. The winning margin was the largest for Knox College all season.

Knox pressured Beloit on both ends all night, employing especially tough defense. Athletic and opportunistic, the Prairie Fire forced 16 Buc turnovers and converted those into 12 points.

The Prairie Fire never trailed, leading for all but 54 seconds of game action.

Offensively, Knox had a balanced attack, with six players scoring at least eight points. Josh Stewart led the way, registering a double-double. Stewart had game-highs of 16 points and 13 rebounds, respectively. Willie Rogers III (14 points), Noah Campbell (12 points), and Russell Wright (11 points) all finished with double-figure scoring while Ryan Erdos and Carl Dortch each tallied eight points. 

The game was tight early with Knox leading 8-7 at the 15:37 mark, but the Prairie Fire took command, thanks to a 17-4 run that stretched the lead to 25-11 with 7:55 to go in the first half. The two teams were close the rest of the half, with Beloit never threatening, as Knox took a 36-20 lead into intermission.

After the break, the Prairie Fire kept control. They built a lead as big as 24 points (75-51) with 2:50 left.

Knox controlled the game, shooting 44.8 percent (30-67) from the field. They held Beloit to 38.6 percent. Knox's bench was key, outscoring Beloit's 27-15.

Knox College returns to action and campus next Tuesday, hosting Cornell at 5:30 p.m. inside Memorial Gymnasium. Fans are encouraged to come out and support Knox as the team aims to build on their strong play. For more on Knox men's basketball and Prairie Fire athletics, visit https://prairiefire.knox.edu/.