Lake Forest College Sports Information
February 18, 2003
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Victory at Knox is 20th of the Season for Lake Forest
Four Foresters score in double figures
  

Katie McCants has scored at least 10 in 19 straight games.
GALESBURG, IL - The Lake Forest women's basketball team won its sixth straight game Tuesday (February 18), a 62-54 decision at Knox College. The victory was the 20th of the season for the Foresters against just two losses, matching the 1998-99 team for the program's best record after 22 games. The squad is 13-2 in Midwest Conference play. Lake Forest won a school-record 21 games in 1991-92 and 20 four consecutive years from 1997-98 through 2000-01. Knox fell to 5-16 overall and 2-13 in the MWC.

Sophomore forward Shannon Clerkin (Barneveld, WI/Barneveld) led four Foresters in double figures with 14 points. She also pulled down nine rebounds and blocked three shots. She was just 3-of-6 from the field but made all eight of her free throw attempts.

Guards Sherry Wagner (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley), a junior, and Kristy Freeman (Palatine, IL/Palatine), a sophomore, scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. The pair combined to shoot 7-of-15 from the floor, 4-of-7 from beyond the three-point arc, and 6-of-7 from the line.

Senior forward Katie McCants (Menasha, WI/Menasha) scored 10 points to extend her streak of games with at least 10 points to 19. She also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

The Foresters shot just 34.6% (17-of-49) from the field but connected on 22 of 28 (78.6%) attempts from the free throw line. Knox was 20-of-58 (34.5%) from the floor but made less than half (10-of-21) of their free throws. Lake Forest out-rebounded the Prairie Fire 40-33 but committed 18 turnovers to Knox's 12.

Clerkin and Freeman combined for the game's first five points, giving the Foresters the largest lead for either team in the first half. The period included six lead changes, three ties, and ended with Lake Forest leading 27.25.

Knox outscored the visitors 7-2 in the first six minutes of the second half to take a five-point (34-29) lead, its largest of the game. The Foresters trailed 38-37 with 11 minutes left before rattling off eight points in a row to go ahead by seven (45-38). The Prairie Fire responded with eight straight of their own to regain the advantage (46-45) with just over six minutes remaining. Clerkin hit a pair of free throws to give the visitors a 47-46 lead, a jumper to tie the score at 52, and two more free throws to tie it at 54 with 1:39 left and begin a 10-0 Lake Forest run to close out the game.

The Foresters will host Monmouth College (8-14, 6-9 MWC) on Saturday (February 22) at 3:00 p.m. The host of the following weekend's (February 28-March 1) MWC Championship Tournament will likely be St. Norbert College and Lake Forest would take on Ripon College (18-4, 12-3) in the semifinals.

Box Score