GALESBURG – The Knox College men's basketball team sent the home crowd home happy on Saturday afternoon, wrapping the home portion of the schedule with a 71-67 win over Ripon.

The Prairie Fire (10-13, 6-8 in the Midwest Conference) kept their postseason hopes alive, moving one game back of Illinois College for the last spot in the conference tournament race.

Knox had a bit of a slow start, trailing by nine, 20-11, midway through the first half. But an 8-0 Prairie Fire ran over the final 3:55 of the first half, cutting the Ripon lead to 28-27 at the break. 

In the second half, Knox went to work in the interior, scoring 28 points in the paint after halftime. 

The game remained tight in the second half as the two squads went back and forth, exchanging the lead. With 2:41 to go, Knox broke a 60-60 tie on Russell Wright's free throws and never trailed again, ending the game on a 12-7 run.

Noah Campbell led the way, posting a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Stewart added 15 points and eight rebounds, and Wright scored 11 and grabbed seven boards. Denim Tuala-Fata finished with eight points and seven rebounds. As a team, Knox outrebounded Ripon 57-43.

The Prairie Fire now hit the road for the rest of the season, playing at Grinnell before closing out the season at Lawrence. Knox must win out and hope Lawrence loses out to grab the fourth and final conference tournament bid.