A hot start and a strong finish paved the way for a road victory for the Knox College men's basketball team on Wednesday night at Cornell.

The Prairie Fire (8-12 overall, 4-7 in the Midwest Conference) had plenty of firepower against the Rams, exploding for 85 points.

Knox started strong, hitting eight of its first 10 shots to take a 19-7 lead. The Prairie were also locked in defensively during the first eight minutes, holding Cornell to 2-17 shooting.

The Knox offense was clicking in the first half, going 16-26 (61.5 percent) in the opening 20 minutes, taking a 40-33 lead at the break.

In the second half, Cornell threatened, cutting the deficit to five a handful of times, but the Prairie Fire had the answer every time, never surrendering the lead. Knox never trailed, leading for all but one minute.

A balanced attack paced the Knox offense, with Noah Campbell's 17 points leading the way.

Aydan Ayer added 13 points and six rebounds. Russell Wright did a bit of everything, scoring 12 points, handing out eight assists, and grabbing seven boards. Josh Stewart was also knocking on the door of a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds. 

The Prairie Fire return home on Saturday, hosting Beloit at 1 p.m.