Lake Forest College Sports Information
February 23rd, 2002
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Foresters Win Third Straight Midwest Conference Championship
McCants's double-double leads team to victory over host Carroll College
  

Katie McCants recorded game- highs in both points (14) and rebounds (15) on Saturday.
WAUKESHA, WI - The Forester women's basketball team outscored host Carroll College 48-28 in the second half of Saturday's (February 23rd) Midwest Conference Championship Game to collect the 72-56 victory. The title is the third in a row for Lake Forest, who also won at St. Norbert College in 2000 and at home a year ago. The Foresters are now 19-6 on the season and receive the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament, which begins on Wednesday (February 27th).

After scoring a game-high 22 points and pulling down a team-high 7 rebounds in Lake Forest's 70-64 overtime victory over Lawrence University in the semifinals on Friday (February 22nd), Katie McCants (Menasha, WI/Menasha) recorded game-highs in both categories on Saturday. The junior forward's 14 points all came in the second half, as did 9 of her career-high-tying 15 rebounds. McCants shot 5-of-10 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. The 80.3% free throw shooter for the season was 14-of-14 from the line this weekend and has made 33 of her last 34 free throw attempts.

Freshman guard Kandyce Green (Chicago Heights, IL/Marian Catholic), the team's leading scorer for the season, shot 9-of-11 from the line and scored 13 points. Freshman forward Shannon Clerkin (Barneveld, WI/Barneveld), who leads the squad in rebounds this year, scored 11 points and pulled down 7 boards.

The Foresters' other two starting guards, senior Jenni Klusman (New Berlin, WI/New Berlin West) and sophomore Sherry Wagner (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley), each added 9 points and accounted for all three of the team's three-point field goals. Lake Forest entered the weekend averaging 5.7 three-pointers per game and making 35.8% of its long-range attempts but shot just 3-of-13 on Saturday and 4-of-35 in the tournament.
  

Captains Jenni Klusman (#21) and Nikki Thompson (#34) proudly hoist the MWC Championship trophy!
Neither Carroll (31.6%) nor Lake Forest (35.1%) shot particularly well from the field. Lake Forest held a decisive 52-34 edge in rebounding and, for the second straight day, shot extremely well from the charity stripe. The Foresters entered the weekend with a free throw percentage of 65.7% but shot 25-of-27 (92.6%) on Friday and 29-of-38 (76.3%) on Saturday.

Carroll scored the game's first six points and led by as many as seven (9-2) early on. After an 8-0 run by the Foresters gave them their only lead before halftime, the Pioneers scored five straight to retake it. The difference fluctuated between one and six points for the rest of the first half, which ended with the home team leading 28-24.

McCants scored her first six points of the game in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second period to tie the score at 30. Lake Forest would not take the lead, though, until a three-pointer by Klusman gave the visitors a 39-37 advantage with just less than 12 minutes left. With approximately 6:30 to play and the Foresters ahead by three (46-43), Green converted a traditional three-point play and McCants and Clerkin followed it up with made jumpers to increase the margin to 10. Lake Forest shot 15-of-16 from the free throw line over the game's final minute-and-a-half to seal the championship.

The victory avenges the 79-75 overtime loss at home the Foresters endured at the hands of the Pioneers four weeks ago (January 25th). Lake Forest finished the regular season with a 12-4 MWC record and having beaten each team in the league at least once except for Lawrence and Carroll. With Friday's win over the Vikings and Saturday's over the Pioneers, the Foresters have defeated every other MWC team for the fourth straight year.

Along with the conference championship comes the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament, which begins on Wednesday (February 27th). Lake Forest was defeated at Calvin College in the opening round of the 2000 tournament and at home by Ohio Wesleyan University, who later advanced to the Final Four, in last year's first round. This season's round one opponent and location will be determined on Sunday (February 24th).

Box Score