The Lake Forest women's basketball team won their third conference championship after defeating Carroll College 74-61 in the finals of the Midwest Conference Tournament.

In the first round of the tournament, the Foresters knocked out third seed Lawrence University by a score of 61-48. First seed St. Norbert College was upset by fourth seed Carroll, with a score of 52-55.

Lake Forest played solid defense throughout their first round game, yet the two teams performed at equal defensive levels. Lawrence forced 22 turnovers and earned seven steals, while the Foresters had five steals and forced 26 Viking turnovers. Lake Forest edged out Lawrence in rebounding with a count of 42 to 38, while both teams shot around 33 percent from field goal range.

A balanced offensive attack separated the Foresters from Lawrence during the game. With three players scoring in double digits, Lake Forest determined the pace of the game and forced Lawrence to spread its defense over the floor.

The Vikings kept the game close through the first half, with the score 19-21 at halftime. Lake Forest picked up the pace in the second half and outscored its opponent 40-29 to earn the win. 

Team contributors for the Foresters include junior Alison Grubbs with a team-high of 20 points and six rebounds, and senior Addi Murphy with 11 points, three steals, and five rebounds. Junior Kim Magee grabbed ten rebounds and scored seven points, while freshman Katie McCants scored ten points and had three rebounds.

In the championship game, Lake Forest matched up against Carroll. The two teams were again defensively equal, with a slight Carroll edge of 36-35 in rebounding. The Foresters had two fewer turnovers than their opponent, 24-26, while Carroll edged Lake Forest in steals, earning 15 to its opponent's ten.

The game was determined by the Foresters' offensive attack, which had four players in double figures, while Carroll had only two players, revealing Lake Forest's aggressive defense and ability to shut down its opponent's offense. The Foresters shot 40 percent from three-point range, while holding Carroll to 25 percent.

Team leaders included Grubbs with 28 points and four rebounds, and senior Melissa Schneider with 13 points and five rebounds. Junior Karla Gribble scored ten points, dished five assists, earned five steals and grabbed two rebounds, while McCants scored twelve points and had three rebounds.

The Foresters played Calvin College at Calvin on Wednesday night. With a win, Lake Forest would advance to the second round in the national tournament.