Foresters Defeat St. Mary's University on Last-Second Shot in Overtime

The Lake Forest College men's basketball team defeated visiting St. Mary's University 87-85 in overtime on Sunday (November 29). The Foresters raised their record on the season to 2-3 and the Cardinals fell to 2-2.

Lake Forest senior guard Victor Campbell (Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) made four of five three-pointers in the game and led the home team with 20 points. Sophomore forward Nate Bateman (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest Academy) and sophomore post player Travis Clark (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) were next on the squad with 15 points apiece. Bateman also pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. Clark added seven rebounds and three assists. Senior forward Patrick Hanley (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield) finished with nine points, five rebounds, two steals, and a game-high seven assists.

Field goal percentages were close to even, with the Cardinals holding a slight 45.9 to 44.4 percent edge. The Foresters made eight of 20 three-pointers and 23 of 39 free throws. St. Mary's made seven of 22 attempts from beyond the arc and 22 of 31 foul shots. Lake Forest held a 42-38 edge in rebounds but committed 15 turnovers while forcing 11.

Neither team led by more than five points during a first half that included seven lead changes and four ties, including a 33-33 score when the buzzer sounded.

An 11-1 Cardinal run early in the second half gave the visitors a 49-41 lead with 12:37 to play in regulation. A 10-2 run by the Foresters a few minutes later tied the game at 53 with 7:32 remaining. St. Mary's pulled ahead by six before back-to-back three-pointers by Campbell knotted the score at 61 with 4:24 on the clock. Campbell also tied the game on a traditional three-point play with 1:03 left and again on a pair of free throws with just nine ticks remaining to force overtime.

Lake Forest pulled ahead by as many as six in overtime but 4-for-10 shooting from the free throw line in the extra period allowed St. Mary's to come back. A Cardinal three-pointer with 2.9 seconds to play tied the game at 85. The Foresters' long inbound pass was deflected out of bounds, giving the home team the ball on their baseline with 2.3 seconds left. Hanley was then able to find sophomore post player Dayton Young (Muskego, Wis./Catholic Memorial) under the basket and he made the game-winner with 0.6 seconds on the clock.

Lake Forest will begin Midwest Conference play next weekend (December 4-5). The Foresters will host St. Norbert College at 7:00 Friday night and Carroll University the following afternoon at 4:00. Live video webcasts, live radio broadcasts, and live stats will be available on the Lake Forest College Athletics Web site during both contests.