February 23 - Lake Forest College

In Tim Heimann's final game as head coach, Knox pulled out a 61-56 win over Lake Forest in front of a large Homecoming Game crowd. The Prairie Fire finish the season 8-15 overall and 7-9 in the Midwest Conference.

Before the game Knox honored its four seniors playing in their final game - Josh Moten, Grant Kluge, Rusty Coon and John Baillie. Despite the emotion of the day, the Prairie Fire started slowly. Lake Forest (11-12, 7-9 MWC) raced to a 19-7 lead as Knox struggled to get anything going offensively. The deficit was 13 at 26-13 with just over five minutes left in the half before the Prairie Fire got rolling.

Zach Kirven hit a jumper, Grant Kluge nailed a three-pointer, Kluge scored on a driving layup, Adam Estergard converted a three-point play, and Estergard buried another jumper before Kluge capped a 15-0 run with a triple to give Knox a 28-26 lead. After a Lake Forest free throw, Estergard drilled a jumper in the closing seconds of the half for a 30-27 Knox advantage.

Clint Moore pushed the advantage to six points with a three pointer to start the second-half scoring. The Prairie Fire could not pull away and the Foresters regained the lead at 42-41 with 12:12 to play. With the score 44-41, Knox reeled off eight straight points, which included three-pointers from Estergard and Moore, to grab a 49-44 edge.

Knox seemingly took control of the game when Kirven's layup gave the Prairie Fire a 56-49 lead with four minutes to play. But Lake Forest responded with seven straight points to even the score at 56-56 with 1:52 left. The Foresters had the ball with under a minute to play but the Knox defense forced a turnover. On the ensuing Knox possession, Moore was fouled and made both free throws for a 58-56 Knox lead. The Foresters had opportunities to tie but missed shots in the paint. Kluge hit a free throw and Kirven knocked down a pair in the closing seconds to secure the win.

Kluge, in his final game, finished with 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Estergard and Kirven also each scored 12 while Moore netted 11. Moten came up with seven points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists in his final contest.

Heimann, who announced his retirement from coaching in October, won 258 games over 24 years as the Knox head coach. He will move to a position in the College's advancement office starting on April 1. Associate head coach Rob Purlee will take the reins of the Prairie Fire men's basketball program.

February 20 - Grinnell College

Grinnell knocked down 12 three-pointers in the first half and hit 21 in the game to race past Knox 100-80. The Prairie Fire are 7-15 overall and 6-9 in Midwest Conference play.

Zach Kirven scored the Prairie Fire's first six points and Clint Moore buried a jumper to give Knox an early 8-4 lead. Knox trailed only 14-13 before Grinnell (15-7, 10-5 MWC) went on a 16-1 run to build a 30-14 lead. The Pioneers drained three triples during the spurt. The lead was 54-34 at the half.

Knox opened the second half on an 8-2 run behind four points each from Adam Estergard and Kirven to pull to within 56-42. Minutes later, the Prairie Fire got as close as 13 points before Grinnell ran off eight straight points to push the lead back to 21 points. The lead got as large as 32 points before Knox rallied late to account for the final score.

Knox shot better than 53 percent from the field but could not stop Grinnell's high-powered offense. The Pioneers hit 12-of-30 three-pointers in the first half and converted 21-of-57 for the game. The Prairie Fire were also hurt by 29 turnovers.

Kirven hit 11-of-13 from the floor in finishing with a team-high 23 points. Josh Moten scored 16 and Grant Kluge netted 13.

The Prairie Fire will close the season at home against Lake Forest on Saturday, February 23. The men's game will start at approximately 4 p.m., following the women's game at 2 p.m. Knox head coach Tim Heimann, who announced he is retiring from coaching at the end of the season, will coach his final game before taking a position with the College's fundraising and alumni relations team on April 1.

February 13 - Monmouth College

Knox led by as many as 15 points in the first half but could not hold on and fell to rival Monmouth 58-52. The Prairie Fire are 7-14 overall and 6-8 in Midwest Conference play.

Knox raced to a 10-4 lead in the game's opening minutes. After Monmouth (5-14, 5-8 MWC) trimmed the lead to 12-11, the Prairie Fire scored 14 straight points, led by seven points from Clint Moore. Zach Kirven scored four of his eight first-half points during the run as Knox took a 26-11 lead. The Fighting Scots regained some momentum by scoring the final seven points of the half to trail only 29-23 at the break.

Moore hit a triple to push the Prairie Fire lead back to 40-27 before Monmouth made its charge. Alex Tanney capped a 21-7 run with a free throw to give the Scots their first lead of the game at 48-47 with 5:22 left. The teams exchanged lead down the stretch. With his team leading 53-52, Monmouth's Scott Ubbenga buried a three-pointer with 17 seconds to play to push the advantage to four points. Moore drove the length of the floor but missed a tough layup before Ubbenga ended the scoring with a pair of free throws.

The Knox defense held Monmouth to 36 percent shooting in the first half, but the Scots knocked down 13-of-26 from the floor in the second half. The Prairie Fire shot nearly 49 percent for the game but committed 25 turnovers.

Kirven led Knox with 12 points. He hit 6-of-7 shots from the field. Moore finished in double figures with 10 points. Adam Estergard (nine points), Josh Moten (eight), Matt Goedeke (seven) and Grant Kluge (six) rounded out a balanced scoring attack.

February 09 - Ripon College

For the second straight night Knox used a late charge to overcome a double-digit second-half deficit, but unlike Friday's win at St. Norbert, Knox came up short in an 81-78 loss at Ripon Saturday. The Prairie Fire are 7-13 overall and 6-7 in Midwest Conference play.

Ripon (9-11, 4-9 MWC) took control of the game from the outset, racing to an 18-3 lead in the game's first six minutes. The lead was 45-34 at halftime but the Red Hawks pushed the margin to 18 points at 57-39 with less than 15 minutes to play. One night earlier, Knox was able to erase a 13-point lead in the final nine minutes to claim a 65-59 win at St. Norbert but the Prairie Fire were unable to recreate the same magic at Ripon.

The Red Hawks still led by 17 points with 10 minutes to play before Knox rallied. Adam Estergard led a 19-4 run with seven points as the deficit was trimmed to 69-67 with just under four minutes remaining. But the Prairie Fire were unable to get over the hump as the Red Hawks hit 6-of-7 from the line in the final minutes to secure the win. Knox's Grant Kluge hit a jumper at the buzzer to account for the final score.

After Ripon shot better than 56 percent from the floor in the first half, Knox limited the Red Hawks to 36 percent shooting in the second half to get back into the game. The Prairie Fire also knocked down 10-of-24 three-point attempts.

Kluge topped 20 points for the second night in a row as he finished with a game-high 23 points and added seven rebounds. He hit 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Estergard added an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double in the loss. Clint Moore finished with 15 points.

February 08 - St. Norbert College

Knox overcame a 13-point deficit in the final nine minutes and earned a 65-59 comeback victory at St. Norbert. Grant Kluge helped spark a 25-6 run to close the game as Knox swept the season series from St. Norbert. The Prairie Fire are 7-12 overall and 6-6 in Midwest Conference play.

St. Norbert (11-8, 7-5 MWC) dominated play early, grabbing a 12-point lead just 10 minutes into the contest. The lead grew to 18 points late in the first half before Knox trimmed the margin to 38-25 at the halftime break.

The Prairie Fire climbed back into the game early in the second half. Rusty Baker scored four quick points to pull Knox to within 42-38 with 13:12 to play. But the Green Knights followed with an 11-2 run to seemingly gain control at 53-40 with just over nine minutes to play.

That's when Kluge took over. The senior tri-captain scored seven straight points over a 2:20 stretch to bring the Prairie Fire to within six points. After the teams twice exchanged scores, Clint Moore and Adam Estergard hit back-to-back three-pointers to knot the game at 57-57 with 3:33 to play. The Green Knights regained the lead with a free throw before Kluge buried a jumper to give Knox its first lead since the game's opening minutes. The Prairie Fire suffered a blow as Kluge fouled out and St. Norbert hit one of the ensuing free throws to again tie the game. With 1:11 to play, Moore hit another triple to give Knox the lead for good. Josh Moten hit a pair from the line with 24 seconds left and Estergard added a free throw in the closing seconds to account for the final score.

After shooting less than 31 percent in the first half, Knox shot a sizzling 62 percent in the second half. The Prairie Fire defense also tightened in the second half, forcing the Green Knights to make only 3-of-20 shots (15 percent) from the floor after halftime.

Kluge led four Prairie Fire players in double figures with 20 points. He hit on 7-of-10 shots from the floor, including all four of his three-point attempts. He was also a perfect 2-of-2 from the line and grabbed a team-high six rebounds before fouling out. Moore and Estergard each finished with 12 points while Moten netted 11.

February 05 - Illinois College

In the second half, Knox shot 67 percent from the floor while limiting Illinois College to 21-percent shooting in a 69-56 Prairie Fire win. Knox is 6-12 overall and 5-6 in Midwest Conference play.

Things didn't look good for Knox in the early going. Illinois College (7-11, 3-8 MWC) raced to a 25-13 lead midway through the first half. Clint Moore, Rusty Baker and Zach Kirven hit consecutive jump shots as the Prairie Fire cut the deficit to 25-19. Knox continued to chip away and trailed only 33-31 at the half.

The second half belonged to the Prairie Fire. Adam Estergard started the final half with a three-pointer for the first Prairie Fire lead of the contest. After the Blue Boys knotted the score at 34-34 with a free throw, Knox followed with an 11-0 run. Josh Moten started the run with a jumper and Estergard sandwiched a pair of three-pointers around a Grant Kluge three-point play to push the Prairie Fire lead to 45-34.

Illinois College managed to pull to within 49-46 with 9:38 to play, but Knox answered with a 10-0 run, capped by five points from Baker, to regain control. The Prairie Fire hit seven of their final eight free throws in the final 1:33 to secure the victory.

Knox connected on 12-of-18 shots, including 5-of-9 three-pointers, in the second half. Illinois College converted only 7-of-33 shots after halftime.

Estergard led all scorers with 19 points. He hit 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Baker added 14 points while Moore, Kirven and Kluge each scored nine.

February 02 - Lake Forest College

Lake Forest shot 72 percent from the floor in the first half and finished at 61 percent for the game to defeat Knox 72-62. The Prairie Fire are 5-12 overall and 4-6 in the Midwest Conference.

Lake Forest (10-7, 6-4 MWC) hit 16-of-22 from the field in building a 41-29 halftime lead. The Foresters knocked down 4-of-6 three-point attempts in their hot start.

Lake Forest only slightly cooled in the second half. After Adam Estergard hit a triple to open the second-half scoring, the Foresters reeled off a 10-2 run for a 51-34 advantage. The Prairie Fire never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Grant Kluge scored 15 points to lead Knox. Peter Cain added 14 points and Josh Moten dropped in 11.

January 30 - Grinnell College

Knox was able to slow the high-powered Grinnell offense down but the Prairie Fire still came up short in an 84-76 decision. Knox is 5-11 overall and 4-5 in Midwest Conference play.

Grinnell (11-5, 6-3 MWC) came into the contest second in all of NCAA Division III in scoring, averaging 108.6 points per game, but the Prairie Fire defense limited the Pioneers to their second-lowest offensive output of the season. Grinnell found enough offense in the second half, hitting 11 three-pointers after halftime, to outlast Knox.

The Pioneers shot only 33 percent in the first half, including 26 percent beyond the arc, as Knox built a 41-37 halftime lead. The Prairie Fire built a six-point lead on two separate occasions early in the second half before Grinnell rallied. A 12-0 run, sparked by a pair of John Grotberg triples, gave Grinnell a 57-51 lead with just under 13 minutes to play. Knox stayed close until a late 10-2 run gave the Pioneers control.

Grinnell connected on 19-of-62 three-pointers for the game. Knox misfired on all four of its three-point efforts. The Prairie Fire shot nearly 64 percent from the floor for the game but hit only 16-of-27 from the line.

Josh Moten and Zach Kirven led Knox with 16 points each. Adam Estergard finished with 11 and Matt Gorham scored nine.

Grotberg, the nation's second-leading scorer at 28.7 points per game, finished with 19. He hit 5-of-19 from beyond the arc. Four other Pioneers hit double figures in the win.

January 26 - Carroll College

Adam Estergard's steal and driving layup with 4.3 seconds to play gave Knox a 66-65 comeback win over Carroll. The Prairie Fire are 5-10 overall and 4-4 in the Midwest Conference, including a 4-1 home mark in league play.

The Pioneers were nursing a one-point lead at 65-64 when Estergard picked Wes Ladwig's pocket, drove the length of the floor and scored with 4.3 seconds on the clock. Estergard's layup capped a comeback which saw Knox come from 10 points down late in the first half. The Prairie Fire built as much as a three-point lead with less than three minutes to play only to see Carroll (9-5, 5-3 MWC) regain a lead with under two minutes remaining. After Estergard's last-second heroics, Ladwig's three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

Grant Kluge and Matt Goedeke helped Estergard lead a second-half rally. Trailing 38-31 at halftime, Knox finally knotted the game at 47-47 with 11:15 to play. Carroll rebuilt a six-point lead on Ladwig's three-pointer with 7:27 left. But Knox answered with nine straight points, including four from Goedeke, to take a 61-58 lead. After John Hoch tied matters with a triple, Kluge followed with a three of his own to give Knox a 64-61 edge with just 2:51 remaining.

Carroll regained the lead with back-to-back layups from Keith Johnson and John Hoch. Knox's Clint Moore misfired on a three-pointer with 1:13 to play. Ladwig missed from beyond the arc but Nate Zimmerman's offensive rebound gave the Pioneers the ball back leading to the final sequence.

Moore led the Prairie Fire with 14 points. Matt Goedeke scored nine of his 13 points in the second half. He added 10 rebounds. After playing only four minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls, Kluge scored all 11 of his points in the second half. Estergard finished with seven points, a game-high 11 rebounds and three steals.

Knox shot 43 percent from the floor, limited Carroll to 41 percent shooting, and out-rebounded the Pioneers 40-25, but it nearly wasn't enough thanks to a combined 43 points from Carroll's Ladwig (24 points) and Hoch (19).

Knox will host high-scoring Grinnell College Wednesday at approximately 7 p.m. The men's game will follow the 5 p.m. women's contest in Memorial Gymnasium.

January 25 - Beloit College

Grant Kluge led four Knox players in double figures as the Prairie Fire picked up a 65-58 win over Beloit. Knox is 4-10 overall and 3-4 in the Midwest Conference, including a 3-1 mark at home in conference play.

The Prairie Fire used a suffocating defense to limit Beloit (2-13, 0-8 MWC) to 24 percent shooting in the first half. Knox used a 10-0 run early in the first half to break a 6-6 tie.  The Prairie Fire lead was 27-18 at halftime.

The lead grew to as many as 18 points at 41-23 with just under 14 minutes to play. The Buccaneers warmed up midway through the second half and got to as close as four points in the final minute. But Knox knocked down 13-of-16 from the line over the final three minutes to secure the win. Kluge and Josh Moten each hit 5-of-6 from the line down the stretch.

Knox shot only 40 percent from the floor but held Beloit to 39 percent for the game. The Prairie Fire also outscored the Buccaneers 18-4 from the free throw line.

Kluge grabbed a team-high nine rebounds to go along with his 15 points. Moten and Clint Moore each scored 11 points and Rusty Baker netted 10. Matt Goedeke came off the bench to drop in seven points.

Knox hosts Carroll College Saturday at 3 p.m.

January 19 - Lawrence University

Lawrence jumped out to a 15-4 lead en route to a 90-54 victory over Knox. The Prairie Fire are 3-10 overall and 2-4 in the Midwest Conference.

After Josh Moten's layup tied the game at 4-4 just two minutes into the contest, Lawrence (10-1, 6-0 MWC) scored 11 consecutive points as Knox misfired on seven straight shots and turned the ball over four times. Rusty Baker ended the slide with a pair of free throws and Zack Kirven added a three-point play as the Prairie Fire pulled to within 15-9. But the Vikings scored eight unanswered to rebuild a double-digit advantage and took a 42-22 lead at the half. Knox got no closer than 16 points in the second half.

Baker scored 12 points and Grant Kluge finished with 10 points in the loss. Moten scored six.

January 18 - Carroll College

Carroll shot 54 percent from the field, including 67 percent in the first half, in defeating Knox 83-62. The Prairie Fire are 3-9 overall and 2-3 in the Midwest Conference.

Adam Estergard hit an early three-pointer and Rusty Baker added a jumper to tie the game at 5-5 before the Pioneers took over. Carroll (8-3, 4-1 MWC) hit 18-of-27 shots in the opening half in racing to a 49-32 halftime lead. Estergard hit a triple to start the second half to cut the deficit to 14 points but Knox would get no closer.

Josh Moten came off the bench to lead the Prairie Fire with 16 points. Estergard finished with 14 points and Matt Goedeke scored 10.

January 15 - Monmouth College

In a defensive battle, Knox came up on the short end of a 55-52 decision at rival Monmouth. With the game tied at 45-45, Knox went scoreless over a four-minute span late in the contest as the Scots picked up the victory. The loss dropped Knox to 3-8 overall and 2-2 in Midwest Conference play.

Knox led most of the first half. The Prairie Fire took an early 7-0 lead thanks to three-pointers from Clint Moore and Adam Estergard, and maintained a 28-26 halftime advantage.

Rusty Baker and Grant Kluge sandwiched baskets around an Estergard triple to start the second half as Knox raced to a 35-26 lead. Monmouth (3-9, 3-3 MWC) chipped away and finally took a one-point lead with 7:48 to play. Moore responded with a three-pointer but the Fighting Scots evened the score at 45-45 seconds later.

Over the next four minutes, Knox missed all four of its shots from the field, misfired on three free throw attempts, and turned the ball over twice as Monmouth built a 51-45 lead with just over three minutes remaining. Estergard stopped the slide with a three-pointer and Kluge buried a jumper to pull the Prairie Fire to within 51-50. But Monmouth hit all four of its attempts from the line in the final minutes to hold on for the win. Peter Cain misfired on a game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer.

Moore finished with a game-high 12 points by hitting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Estergard finished with 11 points. Rusty Baker finished with seven points and Kluge netted six.

January 11 - Clarke College

Despite shooting better than 47 percent from the field, including 54 percent from beyond the arc, Knox was hurt by 24 turnovers in a 71-48 loss at Clarke College. The Prairie Fire are 3-7 overall.

A slow start put the Prairie Fire in an early hole. Nine minutes into the game, Knox trailed 20-6. Adam Estergard and Peter Cain hit three-pointers and Rusty Baker followed with a layup as Knox used a 8-0 run to close the gap to 24-22 late in the half. Clarke (9-8) scored the final four points of the half to lead 28-22 at the break.

A 17-5 Clarke run midway through the second half pushed the margin to 20 points. Knox never threatened the rest of the way.

The Prairie Fire hit 7-of-13 three-pointers but were undone by the 24 turnovers. Clarke finished with 24 points off the miscues. Estergard led Knox with 11 points. Cain, Zach Kirven and Grant Kluge each scored six in the loss.

The Prairie Fire will return to Midwest Conference play Tuesday, January 15. Knox will put its 2-1 mark in conference play on the line at rival Monmouth College in a 7:30 p.m. game.

January 09 - Illinois College

Knox College was looking for its first 3-0 start in Midwest Conference play since the 1999-2000 season, but the Prairie Fire came up on the short end of a 71-53 decision to Illinois College. The loss dropped Knox to 3-6 overall and 2-1 in league play while Illinois College improved to 7-3 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

The Blue Boys hit 12 three-pointers, five coming from Brad Johnson, in the win. In a game in which they never led, the Prairie Fire fell behind 10-2 in the game's first two minutes. Knox rallied and pulled to within 18-17 on Peter Cain's three-pointer midway through the first half. The game stayed close until Illinois College closed the half on a 11-3 run for a 38-27 lead.

Grant Kluge scored the first two points of the second half but the Blue Boys answered with seven straight points to build a 16-point cushion. Knox never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

IC hit 12-of-30 from beyond the arc while Knox hit only 6-of-22. The Prairie Fire shot only 35 percent overall from the floor.

Rusty Baker led Knox with nine points. Matt Goedeke scored eight and Adam Estergard and Grant Kluge each netted seven.

January 05 - North Park University

In the team's first game in more than three weeks, Knox lost 62-56 at North Park University despite 16 points from Clint Moore. The Prairie Fire had last played on December 14.

Knox (3-5 overall) led early, taking a 9-5 lead on a Moore layup. North Park (8-3) responded to build an eight-point lead before settling for a 28-25 halftime advantage. Moore and Matt Gorham hit consecutive baskets early in the second quarter to tie the game at 34-34, but North Park scored the next eight points and never trailed the rest of the way.

North Park attempted nearly twice as many free throws as Knox, hitting 20-of-37 from the line. The Prairie Fire knocked down 11-of-19 free throws.

Rusty Baker came off the bench to reach double figures with 10 points in the loss. Zach Kirven added nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

December 14 - Eureka College

Rusty Baker came off the bench to score a team-high 20 points and Knox used a late 11-0 run to defeat Eureka 74-64. Baker hit 6-of-8 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free throw line as the Prairie Fire moved to 3-4 overall.

It was a balanced scoring attack as three other players reached double figures. Adam Estergard scored 18 and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, Grant Kluge dropped in 11 and Matt Goedeke netted 10.

Knox started slowly, falling behind 10-2 in the game's first five minutes. An 8-0 run midway through the half tied things at 17-17. Estergard scored six points during the run. Eureka (2-7) led 31-26 at the half.

The Red Devils built a seven-point lead early in the second half. A 12-4 run, again highlighted by six points from Estergard, pushed Knox in front 42-41. The game went back and forth with Eureka claiming a 62-61 lead with 5:32 to play. It was all Prairie Fire from there. Baker converted a three-point play and Zach Kirven, Estergard and Clint Moore combined to hit eight free throws to key the 11-0 spurt that gave Knox a 72-62 led with only 32 seconds remaining.

Knox was aggressive throughout the contest and converted 24-of-33 from the line, including 17-of-26 in the second half, as a team. Eureka went to the line only 12 times, making eight. The Prairie Fire limited the Red Devils to 39 percent shooting and forced 16 turnovers. Knox committed only 12 turnovers.

Knox returns to action Saturday, January 5, with a game at North Park University at 2 p.m.

December 04 - Millikin University

Knox knocked down only 2-of-27 three-point attempts in seeing its two-game winning streak snapped in a 70-49 loss at Millikin. The Prairie Fire misfired on all 11 three-point attempts in the first half. Millikin finished 8-of-18 from beyond the arc in the win.

Knox (2-4 overall) never led as Millikin (4-1) took a 10-point lead just 10 minutes into the contest. Grant Kluge scored five straight points and Rusty Baker added a free throw as the Prairie Fire trimmed the deficit to 16-12. The lead again reached double figures and the Big Blue led 39-21 at halftime.

Adam Estergard started the second half by hitting a triple but that was as close as Knox would get the rest of the way. In large part due to the difficulties behind the arc, Knox shot only 32 percent from the floor.

Matt Goedeke led the Prairie Fire with 13 points. Kluge scored nine and Estergard and LaVar Merrell each added seven.

December 01 - St. Norbert College

Knox shot a blistering 67 percent from the floor in the second half in defeating St. Norbert 62-56. The Prairie Fire finished at 59 percent shooting for the game and also made 18-of-20 from the free throw line in improving to 2-3 overall and 2-0 in Midwest Conference play.

With the game tied at 54-54, Rusty Baker's layup with under a minute remaining gave Knox the lead for good. The Green Knights missed shots on their next two possessions while Josh Moten and Zach Kirven each hit a pair of free throws to push the lead to 60-54. Jake Diertz hit a driving layup to cut the margin to four points but Clint Moore ended the scoring by nailing two from the line in the closing seconds.

It was a tale of two halves as both teams started slowly before catching fire in the second half. Knox led 19-18 at the half and outscored St. Norbert 43-38 over the final 20 minutes.

While shooting nearly 60 percent, Knox held St. Norbert (1-4, 0-2 MWC) to 33 percent shooting. Both teams made 19 field goals, but St. Norbert attempted 57 shots while Knox attempted only 32. Knox struggled with turnovers, committing 26 while forcing only 11. The Prairie Fire also grabbed a 32-19 advantage on the boards.

Clint Moore led Knox with 16 points. Adam Estergard scored 11 and Moten and Rusty Baker each hit for 10.

The Prairie Fire will visit Millikin Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.

November 30 - Ripon College

Rusty Baker scored 22 points off the bench to help Knox to a 96-90 double-overtime victory over Ripon. Baker was one of six Prairie Fire players to reach double digits as Knox moved to 1-3 overall and 1-0 in Midwest Conference play.

Knox overcame a rocky start. Ripon (1-2, 0-1 MWC) raced to a 9-0 lead in the game's first four minutes. The Prairie Fire bench kept things close but the team trailed 32-23 at the half.

The Red Hawks took a 10-point lead early in the second half before Knox rallied. A 12-2 run included six points from Matt Goedeke and three-pointers from Clint Moore and Adam Estergard, and tied the game at 43-43. A Peter Cain free throw with eight seconds remaining gave Knox a 67-65 lead, but Ripon's Scott Gillespie hit two free throws with less than two seconds to play to force overtime.

Knox led most of the first extra session and took a three-point lead at 79-76 on a pair of Baker free throws. But once again, Gillespie came through. This time, his three-pointer with 10 seconds left forced the second overtime.

The Prairie Fire never trailed in the final overtime. Matt Gorham scored six of his 11 points in the final five minutes. Knox hit 9-of-10 from the line to close out the game.

Joining Baker and Gorham in double figures were Estergard (16 points), Moore (15), Josh Moten (13) and Matt Goedeke (11). The Knox reserves combined for 48 total points.

Knox hosts St. Norbert Saturday at 3 p.m.

November 25 - St. Ambrose University

Josh Moten led four Knox players in double figures with 13 but the Prairie Fire came up short in a 77-61 loss to St. Ambrose on the final day of the Pizza Hut-Econo Foods Classic. Knox is 0-3.

Poor free throw shooting hurt in the loss. Knox connected on only 8-of-21 from the line for the game, including making only 6-of-16 in the second half. The Prairie Fire also hit only 3-of-20 3-point attempts. Knox was 2-for-13 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Knox led most of the first half. Adam Estergard scored to give the Prairie Fire a 30-22 lead, their largest lead of the game, with 5:44 remaining in the half. But the Bees responded by scoring the next 11 points to jump in front 33-30. St. Ambrose led 35-31 at the break.

Grant Kluge scored nine straight Prairie Fire points as Knox trailed only 43-42 with 15:14 to play, but SAU scored eight unanswered points and quickly built a double-digit advantage.

Estergard, who had nine points in the first half, finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Matt Goedeke also scored 11 and Kluge finished with 10 points and eight boards.

Knox will open Midwest Conference play Friday, November 30, at home against Ripon College. The men's game will begin at 7 p.m.

November 24 - Robert Morris College

Knox lost its home opener to Robert Morris College-Chicago 74-45 on the opening day of the 20th annual Pizza Hut-Econo Foods Classic. Knox is 0-2.

Adam Estergard scored five early points as Knox took a 9-8 lead in the opening minutes. Robert Morris, ranked seventh in the NAIA polls, scored 11 straight points to take a 19-9 advantage. The Eagles used a 17-1 run late in the first half to build a 27-point edge.

Leading 46-21 at the half, Robert Morris opened the second half with a 16-5 spurt to put the game out of reach.

The Eagles shot 50 percent from the floor for the game. After shooting only 36 percent in the first half, the Prairie Fire hit 52 percent of their shots in the second half to finish at 44-percent shooting for the contest. Knox was also hurt by 23 turnovers.

Estergard and LaVar Merrell led Knox with seven points each. Jacob Scholl scored six and Matt Goedeke added five. Twelve of the 15 Prairie Fire players who saw minutes scored at least two points.

Knox will host St. Ambrose University Sunday at 3 p.m. in the last game of the Pizza Hut-Econo Foods Classic.

November 19 - Cornell College

Knox scored only 12 first-half points in losing its season opener 72-43 at Cornell College. The Prairie Fire connected on only 3-of-15 field goals in falling behind 30-12 at the half.

Both teams struggled early. Adam Estergard hit a 3-pointer and Matt Goedeke scored four quick points as Knox grabbed a 7-4 lead less than six minutes into the contest. Cornell (1-2) followed with an 18-0 run over the next eight minutes to lead 22-7. The Prairie Fire got no closer than within 16 points in the second half.

Knox shot slightly better in the second half but finished at less than 31 percent from the floor for the game. The Prairie Fire hit only 4-of-21 from beyond the 3-point arc and connected on only 15-of-26 from the line. The team also had 24 turnovers in the loss.

Goedeke came off the bench to lead the Prairie Fire with 13 points. Estergard scored 11 and Rusty Coon dropped in nine.

Knox will host the annual Pizza Hut-Econo Food Classic Saturday and Sunday, November 24-25. The Prairie Fire will host Robert Morris College-Chicago Saturday at 7 p.m. before playing St. Ambrose University Sunday at 3 p.m.