Lake Forest College Sports Information
February 22nd, 2002
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Lake Forest Advances to Midwest Conference Championship Game 
Foresters eliminate Lawrence in OT, will play Carroll or Ripon for the title
  

Katie McCants scored a game- high 22 points, including six in overtime of Friday's semifinal.
WAUKESHA, WI - With a 70-64 overtime victory over Lawrence University on Friday (February 22nd) in the semifinals of the 2002 Midwest Conference Championship Tournament, the Lake Forest College women's basketball team has moved one step closer to a third consecutive league title. The Foresters, who raised their record to 18-6, will take on the winner of Friday's second semifinal between Ripon College (14-9) and host Carroll College (19-4).

For the 11th time this season, Lake Forest's Katie McCants (Menasha, WI/Menasha) earned at least a share of the team lead in scoring. The junior forward shot 6-of-10 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line in a game-high 22-point performance on Friday. McCants is now shooting 79.2% from the line this season and has connected on 29 of her last 30 attempts from the charity stripe. 

Sophomore forward Tangara Cross (Garland, TX/Naaman Forest) and freshman guard Kandyce Green (Chicago Heights, IL/Marian Catholic) each added 10 points for the Foresters. Cross reached double figures for the fourth time this season by shooting 4-of-5 from the floor and making both of her free throws in just 16 minutes of play. Green, the team's leading scorer this season, added three rebounds and a game-high five steals to her stat line.

Despite making just 65.7% of their free throws this season, the Foresters shot 25-of-27 (92.6%) on Friday, including a perfect 16-of-16 in the first half. Lake Forest, who entered the week ranked 14th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (35.8%) overcame a dismal 1-for-22 game from beyond the arc. The Foresters held a slight edge in shooting percentage (38.6% to 37.5%) and forced 28 turnovers while committing 23 themselves.

Lawrence led by five points (17-12) at the first half's midway point. The margin was five (23-18) once again with 6:16 to go in the period when Lake Forest began a 6-0 run to take the lead for the first time since the 14:55 mark. After a pair of Viking free throws with 2:23 left, the Foresters scored the final eight points of the half to take the biggest lead to that point for either team (34-27).

Senior guard Jenni Klusman (New Berlin, WI/New Berlin West), who dished out a game-high five assists on Friday and led the conference in three-point field goals this season, connected for the only time in the game from long-range with 17:05 to play in regulation to give Lake Forest an eight-point advantage. Lawrence trimmed the difference to a single point (41-40) with 9:48 to play and took its only lead of the second half (46-45) with 6:51 left. Six straight Forester points (four by Cross) put them back ahead by five. The lead went back down to one and back up to five before the Vikings made three of four free throws and a jumper in a 40-second span to tie the game at 55 and send it into overtime.

Lake Forest opened up a five-point lead in the first minute of the extra frame and led by four (62-58) with 3:24 left before scoring six straight points. A 6-1 run by Lawrence cut the margin to five (69-64) with 33 seconds to go but a Forester free throw and some stingy defense ended the scoring and the comeback effort.

The Foresters are now 2-1 in overtime games this season and, coincidentally, all three games were against the other three teams in the conference tournament. Lake Forest defeated Ripon College 88-76 in three extra periods on January 12th and suffered a 79-75 loss to Carroll at home on January 25th.

Lake Forest entered the tourney as the second-seeded team and Lawrence the third. The Forester victory avenges a 59-49 loss to the Vikings earlier this season in Appleton, Wisconsin. Revenge will also be the goal in Saturday's (February 23rd) championship game, since the Foresters' last meetings with both top-seeded Carroll and fourth-seeded Ripon ended in defeat.

Box Score