Lake Forest Closes Out Regular Season With 74-72 Win at Grinnell
Four Foresters score in double figures

Matthias scored 36 points in two games against Grinnell.

Sophomore forward Ashley Matthias (Barneveld, WI/Mount Horeb) scored a team-high 17 points in the game and pulled down eight rebounds. She shot 6-for-12 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the foul line in the contest. Freshman forward Nicole Baich (Westchester, IL/Nazareth Academy) was 6-for-7 from the field and 4-for-5 from the line and scored 16. Senior guard Kristy Freeman (Palatine, IL/Palatine) and junior guard Devon Liebl (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Pius XI) also reached double figures with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Freeman knocked down three three-pointers to raise her school record total for the season to 64. Liebl added seven rebounds and led the team with six assists and three steals.

The Foresters shot 37.7% from the field, slightly better than the Pioneers’ 34.3%. Grinnell made nine three-pointers in 38 attempts (23.7%) and the visitors knocked down five of 21 (23.8%). Both teams shot a stellar 17-for-21 from the free throw line. Lake Forest out-rebounded the home team 52-33 but committed 19 turnovers while forcing a dozen.

There were three ties and three lead changes in the opening eight minutes before Grinnell rattled off 12 straight points to take a 25-15 lead with nine-and-a-half minutes to play in the first half. The Foresters tied the game with a 12-2 run and briefly took the lead in the last minute of the period. A pair of Pioneer free throws in the final 10 seconds gave the home team a 40-39 advantage at intermission.

A 9-0 Forester run early in the second half gave the visitors a 50-45 lead. The margin fluctuated between one and six points until Grinnell pulled even at 64-64 with 5:36 left in the contest. A Freeman three-pointer and a Matthias jumper put the visitors ahead by five but the Pioneers battled back again and tied the score at 72-72 with just over a minute left on the clock. Baich and Freeman each made one of two free throws and the Foresters held the home team scoreless the rest of the way.

Lake Forest earned the number four seed in next weekend’s (February 25-26) Midwest Conference Championship Tournament and will take on host and top-seeded St. Norbert College in the semifinals at 7:00 Friday night. The championship game is scheduled for 2:00 Saturday afternoon.