The Prairie Fire actually led at halftime thanks to hitting 6-of-13 attempts from beyond the arc. Knox took an early 14-6 lead and led for most of the first half. The Crusaders came out sizzling in the second half. Clarke (1-7) hit seven straight shots from the floor, including four 3-pointers, in the midst of a 16-0 run to take a 55-43 lead. Demarvis Russell and DeMonte Bynum combined for 14 of the 16 points in the streak.
The lead stayed in double figures until the final two minutes. A late 9-1 Knox run, keyed by triples from Jason Maclin and Adam Estergard, pulled the Prairie Fire to within 71-65 with 1:21 to play. After a Clarke turnover, Knox had the chance to get closer but Maclin misfired on a 3-pointer and Jeff Wozencraft could not score after an offensive rebound. Jesse Temple knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 73-68 with 46 seconds remaining but Clarke hit 7-of-8 from the line down the stretch to secure the win.
Bynum finished with a game-high 29 points while Russell added 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win. The Crusaders shot 56 percent from the floor, 50 percent from behind the arc and 87 percent from the line for the game. Clarke also out-rebounded Knox 40-22.
Despite shooting 6-of-22, Maclin led Knox with 21 points. Grant Kluge and Moten each scored 11 and Estergard netted 10. After shooting 50 percent in the first half, Knox shot only 21 percent after halftime. The Prairie Fire did force 27 Crusader turnovers.