Foresters Suffer Season-Ending 70-58 Loss to Illinois College 
Team makes third MWC Tourney appearance in four years
  

Fred Bell posted 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals against Illinois College.

Sophomore guard Fred Bell (Mequon, WI/Homestead) and senior center J.R. Jurecko (Libertyville, IL/Libertyville) scored a dozen points each in the loss. Bell also pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds and added 3 assists and 3 steals.

Lake Forest shot just 37.5% in the game, compared to a 43.9% performance from the field by Illinois College. The Foresters held the turnover edge, committing a season-low 10 miscues to the Blue Boys' 17, but IC's 43-32 edge on the boards and 13-for-15 shooting night from the free throw line proved to be too much for Lake Forest.

Illinois College scored the game's first seven points but the Foresters responded with the next seven to begin a 24-7 run that put them ahead 24-14. Illinois College rattled off 11 and 8 consecutive points and outscored Lake Forest 27-6 over the next nine minutes. The Foresters scored the last five points before halftime to cut the IC lead to 41-35.

Illinois College stretched that lead to as many as 14 points (57-43) after intermission before a 10-0 Lake Forest run cut it to four for the third time in the half. The Foresters would get no closer, though, and IC allowed just one Lake Forest point in the game's final five minutes to seal the victory.

The Foresters have become regulars at the four-team conference tourney, having qualified in 1998, 2000 and 2001. The squad will lose just one member to graduation, albeit an important one in leading scorer and rebounder J.R. Jurecko.

Box Score