The Lake Forest College men's basketball team was defeated 80-69 at Ripon College on Saturday. Junior forward Nate Bateman led the Foresters with 17 points.
Bateman shot 6-for-11 from the field and was one of three players on the team to make three three-pointers. He also dished out four assists and added a pair of blocked shots.
Junior post player Travis Clark was next on the squad with 16 points and he added six rebounds, two blocks, and a team-high five assists.
Lake Forest sophomore Jeff Beck narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He was 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, as was junior guard David Pilalis, who chipped in with nine points.
The Foresters led 36-28 at halftime after shooting 56.5 percent from the field and making eight of 16 three-pointers in the game's first 20 minutes. Ripon shot 39.4 percent from the floor in the first half but 57.1 in the second. The Red Hawks also made 17 of 18 free throws during a 52-point second half.
The Red Hawks outscored the Foresters 25-6 during an 11-minute span in the second half, turning a five-point Lake Forest lead into a 65-51 advantage for Ripon with 4:51 to play. The Foresters pulled back to within eight points twice in the final minutes but would get no closer.
Lake Forest is now 7-8 overall and 5-5 in Midwest Conference play this season. Ripon raised its overall record to 9-6 and league mark to 7-3.
The Foresters will be back in action Wednesday night at 7:30 against against visiting Illinois College. Live stats and a live video webcast will be available on the Lake Forest College Athletics website.