Lake Forest College Sports Information
February 20, 2008
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Lake Forest Defeats Monmouth in Coach Slaats’ Final Home Game
Team wins eighth consecutive game

Beth Lucas
Eileen Walsh
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Forester women’s basketball team, ranked tied-for-19th in the latest USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches poll and 21st by D3hoops.com, defeated visiting Monmouth College 68-48 Wednesday evening (February 20). The Foresters are now 19-3 overall and 13-2 in Midwest Conference play. The Fighting Scots fell to 12-11 overall and 8-8 in the league in their final game of the season. It was the last home game for Lake Forest’s 22nd-year head coach Jackie Slaats, who is resigning as coach after the season but remaining the College’s Athletic Director.

Senior guard Beth Lucas (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) led the Foresters with 15 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Fellow senior guard Eileen Walsh (Hickory Hills, Ill./Amos Alonzo Stagg) was next on the squad with 13 points and she added four rebounds and a pair of steals. Sophomore guard Kate Grunauer (Chicago, Ill./Marist) scored nine points and joined senior forward Shaina Sullivan (Winfield, Ill./West Chicago) with a team-high three steals. Senior guard Jenna Werdell (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South) made each of her three field goal attempts, including one from three-point range, and added a free throw for eight points. Sophomore forward Claire Schmidt (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) also scored eight points and along with Lucas, blocked two shots.

Lake Forest shot 42.2 percent from the field, slightly better than Monmouth’s 38.8. The home team knocked down seven of 21 shots from beyond the arc while the Scots connected on just three of eight. Both team made seven free throws, although the visitors did it in just seven attempts and the Foresters in 13. Lake Forest held a 37-31 edge in rebounds and committed just 17 turnovers while forcing 28.

The Foresters scored the game’s first eight points and never relinquished the lead. The margin grew to as many as 13 in the first half and the home team led 31-21 at intermission.

After Lake Forest scored the first basket of the second half, Monmouth used a 13-3 run to pull to within just two points. The difference was three (42-39) with just over 13 minutes remaining before an 18-3 Forester run put the game out of reach.

Lake Forest will close out the regular season at Knox College Saturday afternoon (February 23) at 2:00. A victory at Knox would clinch the second seed in the MWC Championship Tournament the following weekend (February 29-March 1). First-place St. Norbert College will host the tourney and the Foresters, regardless of the outcome at Knox, will take on Carroll College in Friday’s first (5:00 p.m.) semifinal.

Box Score