Lake Forest College Sports Information
February 21, 2004
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Lake Forest Upsets #16 Lawrence to Qualify for MWC Tournament
Foresters win final four regular season games to finish 10-6 in league play

Brad Wehner had 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
LAKE FOREST, IL - The Lake Forest College men’s basketball team clinched the fourth and final spot in the Midwest Conference Tournament with a 67-59 victory over league champion Lawrence University, the nation’s 16th-ranked team, Saturday (February 21) afternoon at home. The Foresters closed out the regular season with a four-game winning streak, a 13-10 overall record, and a 10-6 mark in conference play. The Vikings fell to 19-4 overall and 13-3 in the league.

Sophomore forward Franklyn Beckford (Jacksonville, IL/Jacksonville) and junior forward Eric McDonald (Elk Grove, IL/Elk Grove) led the Foresters offensively. Beckford scored a team-high 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and pulled down five rebounds. McDonald recorded his second straight double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and added five blocked shots.

Freshman guard Brad Wehner (Sheboygan, WI/Sheboygan North) made a strong contribution off the bench with career-highs of 12 points and seven rebounds. He also dished out a game-high four assists and shot 6-for-8 from the free throw line, including 5-for-6 in the last 1:30 of the game.

The Foresters made up for a .348 shooting percentage in the first half with 15 attempts from the free throw line. They shot 48.1% from the field in the second half and made 13 additional trips to the line. Lawrence shot just 36.5 percent in the game and attempted only 10 free throws. Lake Forest also out-rebounded Lawrence 43-33 but committed six more turnovers (13-7).

The Vikings scored the game’s first nine points and led by nine (21-12) again with 7:59 remaining in the first half. The Foresters, however, outscored their guests 14-0 during the next five-and-a-half minutes to pull ahead for the first time on the day. The first-half buzzer sounded with Lake Forest leading 29-25.

An 11-2 Lawrence run midway through the second half gave the visitors a 45-40 lead with eight-and-a-half minutes to play. Lake Forest answered with a 10-0 run of its own, capped off by a Wehner three-pointer. The Forester defense held Lawrence in check and Klos, McDonald, and Wehner connected on eight of nine free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the victory.

Lake Forest will travel to Lawrence University for the four-team conference tournament next weekend (February 27-28) and face the Vikings in one semifinal on Friday. Carroll College (16-7, 12-4 MWC), the #2 seed, will take on #3 Grinnell College (18-5, 11-5) in the other semifinal and the winners will play Saturday afternoon for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

 Box Score