Lake Forest Wins Midwest Conference Championship
Foresters defeat Carroll College 64-56 in title game

Beth Lucas

Lisa Nassin

Senior guard/forward Andrea Durante (Bloomingdale, Ill./Lake Park) led the Forester with 15 points against Lawrence. Freshman center Lisa Nassin (Evergreen Park, Ill./Evergreen Park), freshman forward Claire Schmidt (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara), and senior guard Beth Lucas (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) came off the bench to score 13, 11, and 10 points, respectively. Schmidt, junior center Nicole Baich (Westchester, Ill./Nazareth Academy), and sophomore forward Ashley Cretacci (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) tied for team-high honors with six rebounds apiece and Baich led the team with three assists.

Lake Forest shot 38.5 percent from the field, 2-for-10 from three-point range, and 18-for-25 from the foul line. Lawrence was 37.0 percent from the floor, 2-for-13 from beyond the arc, and 23-for-32 at the line. The Foresters out-rebounded their guests 42-38 and committed 13 turnovers while forcing 18.

The game was tied 10-10 before a 10-2 Forester run put the home team ahead for good. Lake Forest’s lead reached as many as 14 points later in the half and was 36-23 at intermission.

Lawrence trimmed the margin to as few as six points early in the second half before the difference once again reached 14 with 9:33 to play. The Vikings got the lead under 10 again with 4:42 remaining and gradually closed to within just three points (66-63) with 76 seconds left on the clock. A basket by Durante with 48 second left and a pair of free throws with 17 seconds remaining sealed the victory for the Foresters.

Senior guard Lizzy Bauer (Madison, Wis./Madison West) led the Foresters with 13 points in Saturday’s championship game. Baich and freshman Nassin each added 10 points and combined to shoot 8-for-11 from the field and 4-for-5 from the foul line. Lucas scored nine points, pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, and added two assists and two steals.

The Foresters out-shot the Lady Pioneers 45.5 percent to 36.7 percent from the floor. Lake Forest connected on just two of nine three-pointers and shot 12-for-23 from the free throw line. Carroll made six three-pointers in 16 attempts and knocked down 14 of 23 free throws. Lake Forest held a commanding 41-29 advantage in rebounds and committed 18 of the game’s 37 turnovers.

An 8-0 Forester run late in a first half that included four ties and eight lead changes gave the home team the lead for good. The difference reached as many as nine points before halftime, which occurred with Lake Forest leading 30-23.

The Foresters scored the first eight points of the second half to open up a 15-point cushion. Carroll pulled to within single digits numerous times in the half and cut the lead to five points (57-52) with 3:05 remaining in the contest. The Lady Pioneers would get no closer, however, as the Forester defense stiffened and allowed just four points the rest of the way.

Along with the conference title, the Foresters earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The first two rounds will be played at 16 sites around the country next weekend (March 1-2) and Lake Forest will likely be considered for one of those hosting opportunities. Tournament brackets will be released on Monday (February 26).

Carroll - St. Norbert Box Score
Lake Forest - Lawrence Box Score
Lake Forest - Carroll Box Score