Knox Men's Basketball Staves Off Late Surge From Lake Forest

The Prairie Fire men's basketball team defeated Lake Forest 71-70 on Saturday afternoon.

The Foresters jumped out to a 4-0 lead early in the first half, but after an 11-11 tie Knox used a 21-2 run to take a commanding lead. The Prairie Fire maintained a 44-25 lead at halftime.

Lake Forest chipped away at the lead throughout the second half and pulled within one point with 1:32 to play. Knox was able to maintain the lead by gaining a four point advantage with seven seconds left thanks to a pair of free throws by Matt Garife. The Foresters hit a trey at the buzzer, but it was too little too late.

Isaiah Lockett led the Prairie Fire with 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from long-range. Sean Gallery and Jordan Rayner each added 16 points. Gallery pitched in eight boards.

"That was a big win for us," said head coach Ben Davis. "The first half was the best we have played all season. Our guys executed on both ends of the court, made the extra pass, and rebounded well. We made some mistakes defensively in the second half. We've been in a lot of close games this season that have come down to the last couple minutes. The difference tonight was that we kept our poise and executed on those possessions."

Knox returns to action as they host Grinnell on January 25.