GALESBURG, Ill. – A game of momentum swings saw Knox benefit from one final surge down the stretch in Saturday's 79-71 men's basketball win over Cornell inside Memorial Gymnasium.

The Rams (3-6), in action for the first time in 16 days, seemingly had control of the nonconference contest with a 20-3 scoring spurt in the second half. Jordan Magnani (JR/Mount Pleasant, Iowa) buried a 3-pointer that put Cornell ahead 59-49 with 8:57 remaining.

Knox (1-2) answered back by scoring 18 of the next 20 points, regaining the lead at 61-59 with 5:24 left. The Rams were held to one made field goal the rest of the way.

Magnani paced the Rams with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. The junior guard tossed in 17 points after intermission and also finished with six rebounds.

Marcus Quirk (JR/Edinburgh, Scotland) made four 3-point goals and totaled 21 points. Cooper Kabela (SR/West Branch, Iowa) added 11 points, while Logan Sharp (SO/Des Moines, Iowa) grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Rams turned the ball over only 10 times, although were outscored in the paint, 40-22. The Prairie Fire won the battle on the boards, 41-34.

The Prairie Fire, who led 36-32 at halftime, held a six-point advantage from the foul line, hitting 18-of-27 free throws. The Rams had a tough 41.7-percent shooting game from the field.

Coming up – The Rams conclude the season Wednesday with a 7 p.m. rematch against Knox inside the Small Sport Center.