Foresters Split Midwest Conference Weekend in Wisconsin
Lake Forest defeats Ripon, falls by two at St. Norbert

Tracy Rainey

Lisa Nassin

Sophomore guard Tracy Rainey (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) led Lake Forest with 13 points at Ripon and added three steals. Senior center Nicole Baich (Westchester, Ill./Nazareth Academy) and sophomore center Lisa Nassin (Evergreen Park, Ill./Evergreen Park) also reached double figures with 11 points apiece. They combined to shoot 7-for-10 from the field and 8-for-11 from the free throw line and pull down 18 rebounds, including a game-high 11 by Baich. Senior guard Beth Lucas (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) had six points and five rebounds and led the tem with three assists and five steals.

The Foresters shot 35.8 percent from the field, 5-for-13 from three-point range, and 14-for-21 from the free throw line. The Red Hawks made one-third of their field goal attempts, including three of six from beyond the arc, and knocked down 12 of 15 foul shots. Lake Forest out-rebounded the home team 43-26.

Lake Forest trailed 9-6 before scoring 10 straight points to take the lead for good. The visitors extended their advantage to as many as 10 points in the first half and led 30-21 at intermission. Ripon trimmed the margin back down to three points midway through the second period but a 7-0 run by the Foresters extended it to 10 and Lake Forest led by no fewer than seven points the rest of the game.

Nassin made her first career start at St. Norbert, led the Foresters with 15 points, and tied Baich with a game-high seven rebounds. Senior guard Eileen Walsh (Hickory Hills, Ill./Amos Alonzo Stagg) scored 14 points, Rainey 12, and sophomore forward Claire Schmidt (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) 10. Walsh and Lucas led the squad with three assists and four steals, respectively.

St. Norbert out-shot Lake Forest 54.5 to 43.5 percent from the field and made five of eight three-pointers to the Foresters’ 3-for-13. The Green Knights also hit 33 of 40 free throw attempts while the visitors were 25-for-36. Lake Forest out-rebounded the home team 34-29 and committed 10 fewer turnovers (34-24).

The game was tied at 14 before St. Norbert outscored the Foresters 25-12 over the final 11 minutes of the first half. Lake Forest cut the deficit to four points early in the second half but saw the Green Knight advantage gradually grow to 19 points (75-56) with 4:38 to play. A 26-7 run by the visitors tied the game with 14 seconds left but a pair of St. Norbert free throws a second later proved to be the winning points.

The Foresters will host a pair of conference games next weekend (January 25-26). Lake Forest will take on Carroll College Friday evening at 5:30 and Ripon the following afternoon at 2:00.

Lake Forest - Ripon Box Score
Lake Forest - St. Norbert Box Score