DUBUQUE, Iowa — Nayeli Nidez Acuña made her collegiate debut a memorable one as the first-year scored 21 points and grabbed a dozen rebounds to lead the Knox College women's basketball team (1-0) to a 64-53 road victory over host Loras College (0-1) in the Prairie Fire's first game at the Loras Tip-Off Classic on Friday night at the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center.

Nidez Acuña hit 7-of-11 field goals and 7-of-10 at the foul line to account for her 21 points, plus dished out a team-high four assists. Last year's Midwest Conference Newcomer of the Year Bria Medina added 16 points and four steals, and junior transfer Audrey Drapeau came off the bench to drain a trio of 3-pointers in her first game for Knox.

The two teams were among the top scoring teams in Division III last year, but both sides had trouble putting points on the board in the opening half. The Prairie Fire held a slim 11-9 lead after the first quarter, but the Duhawks took the lead at the intermission by three, 27-24, while hitting 31.4 percent from the floor compared to 28.8 percent for Knox.

But the Prairie Fire took control of the game in the third quarter after falling behind by eight, embarking on a 13-point run fueled by Nidez Acuña and Medina with four points apiece. By the end of the period, Knox held a 48-43 lead after hitting half of its 18 shots in the 10 minutes.

Loras tried to close the gap from behind the arc, but too few long balls were falling while an 8-0 run bloated the Prairie Fire lead to as many as 13 with under a minute to play. A pair of triples in that final minute were too little, too late for the Duhawks as Knox avenged its loss in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament with the victory.

• Senior Brianna Arizmendi chipped in 10 rebounds to help Knox hold a 44-39 advantage on the glass.
• While the Prairie Fire were shooting 43.8 percent from the floor in the second half, they were holding Loras to a paltry 22.6 percent.
• Knox helped itself in keeping the Duhawks at arm's length by converting 11-of-12 free throws in the second half, hitting 73.9 percent (17-of-23) for the game.
• Loras had three players score in double figures, led by Silvana Scarsella with 13 points and 12 boards.

Knox will get right back on the court in Dubuque tomorrow when it takes on Coe College (0-1), which lost to No. 8 Wisconsin-Oshkosh earlier today, 64-55. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. with live video and stats available through PrairieFire.Knox.edu, the official website of Knox College athletics.