Lake Forest College Sports Information
January 12th, 2002
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Foresters Escape With 88-76 Triple-Overtime Victory Over Ripon 
Klusman records career-high in points, McCants in rebounds
  

Katie McCants (top) scored 17 points and added a career-high 15 rebounds while Jenni Klusman recorded a career- high in points (17) for the second consecutive day.
LAKE FOREST, IL - Last year the Ripon College women's basketball team was the only Midwest Conference team to defeat the Foresters. Saturday (January 12th) afternoon, it almost became the first to do it this season. Lake Forest scored 19 points in the third overtime to come away with an 88-76 victory. The Foresters managed to extend the game to the third overtime after trailing by two points in the final minute of regulation and each of the first two extra periods.

For the third game in a row and the sixth time this season, junior forward Katie McCants (Menasha, WI/Menasha) at least tied for the team lead in scoring. She and senior guard Jenni Klusman (New Berlin, WI/New Berlin West) each scored 17. McCants also pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds and added four steals. Klusman's scoring total was one more than her previous career-high, set the night before at Beloit. She shot 5-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-7 from three-point range.

Three other Foresters reached double figures in points. Sophomore guard Sherry Wagner (Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley) scored 11 and freshmen Kandyce Green (Chicago Heights, IL/Marian Catholic) and Shannon Clerkin (Barneveld, WI/Barneveld) each had 10. 

Lake Forest held a tremendous edge in rebounding, 61-45. The Foresters also forced Ripon into 28 turnovers, but matched a season-high by committing 28 themselves. The teams combined to attempt 153 shots from the field and 66 free throws.

The home team led by as many as five points (10-5) early in the first half before Ripon came back to take their first lead of the game (13-12) with just less than nine minutes to play before halftime. That lead changed hands a total of eight times in the first period, which ended with the Foresters ahead, 23-21.

Lake Forest scored the first seven points after halftime and led by eight with just over 17 minutes to play in the period, but saw that lead disappear after an 11-0 Redhawk run gave the visitors the lead. The Foresters would not lead again until a Klusman three-pointer gave them a one-point edge (44-43) with 7:28 to play. Ripon twice went back up by as many as three points and led 55-53 before Wagner's free throws tied the game in the last minute of regulation and sent it to overtime.

Each team posted eight points and neither led by more than three in the first overtime. The final two points of the period were scored on free throws from Clerkin with 47 seconds left.

The second overtime was even les productive than the first, as each squad managed just six points. A field goal by McCants with 28 seconds left tied the score and sent the game into a third extra frame.

The Foresters got a boost from sophomore forwards Tangara Cross (Garland, TX/Naaman Forest) and Hayley O'Donnell (McFarland, WI/McFarland) during the third and final overtime. In the first two minutes of the period, the duo combined for six of the team's nine points, a rebound, and three assists. Lake Forest out-scored Ripon 10-2 over the last two-plus minutes to finally win the game. Green scored six points during that stretch.

The Foresters are 11-1 overall and 6-0 in the Midwest Conference for the third straight season. They will travel to northeastern Wisconsin next weekend to play at St. Norbert College on Friday (January 18th) and Lawrence University on Saturday (January 19th).

Box Score