Lake Forest College Sports Information
February 16, 2008
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Foresters Defeat Visiting Grinnell College on Senior Day
Claire Schmidt leads the home team with 16 points

Claire Schmidt Beth Lucas
Nicole Baich Eileen Walsh
Jenna Werdell Shaina Sullivan
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Lake Forest College women’s basketball team, ranked 23rd in the latest USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches poll and 24th by D3hoops.com, defeated visiting Grinnell College 71-49 on Saturday (February 16). The Foresters are now 18-3 overall and 12-2 in Midwest Conference play. The Pioneers fell to 7-13 overall and 5-8 in the league.

Sophomore forward Claire Schmidt (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) shot 7-for-9 from the field in the game and matched her career-high with 16 points. Senior guard Beth Lucas (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) also reached double figures with 11 points and added five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. Senior center Nicole Baich (Westchester, Ill./Nazareth Academy) scored eight points and led the home team with six rebounds and four assists and senior guard Eileen Walsh (Hickory Hills, Ill./Amos Alonzo Stagg) and freshman guard Lindsey LaBadie (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) led the squad with three steals apiece.

Lake Forest shot 46.7 percent from the field, 6-for-18 (33.3%) from three-point range, and 9-for-13 (69.2%) from the free throw line. Grinnell made just 36 percent of its field goal attempts, including 10 of 30 (33.3%) shots from beyond the arc, and knocked down three of five free throws. The Foresters out-rebounded their guests 34-32 and committed 15 turnovers while forcing 27.

It was Lake Forest’s Senior Day and, in addition to Lucas, Baich, and Walsh, senior guard Jenna Werdell (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South) and forward Shaina Sullivan (Winfield, Ill./West Chicago) also started the game. The five seniors scored the game’s first seven points. Grinnell cut the lead to two points before a 15-2 Forester run gave the home team its largest lead of the first half (26-9) and Lake Forest led 32-19 at intermission.

The Pioneers started the second half with an 8-2 run to pull to within seven points but a 14-3 Forester run over the next seven-and-a-half minutes put the game out of reach. Grinnell trailed by at least 13 points the rest of the way.

Lake Forest will play its final home game of the season Wednesday evening (February 20) at 5:30 against Monmouth College. The Foresters will then close out the regular season at Knox College Saturday afternoon (February 23) at 2:00.

Box Score