The Forester men's basketball team was edged out 63-61 by visiting Lawrence University Tuesday night. Guard Brad Johnstin was one of three seniors in the Lake Forest lineup for their final career home game.
Johnstin's fellow seniors, guard Jeff Beck and forward Chris Madson, finished the night with a team-high 20 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, respectively. Beck connected on three of five attempts from three-point range and on seven of eight free throws. One-third of Madson's rebounds came at the offensive end of the court.
Freshman guard Austin Terry and sophomore forward Brian Madson also scored in double figures for Lake Forest with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Terry made three of six shots from beyond the arc and Brian Madson added six rebounds.
The Foresters shot just 37 percent from the field while the Vikings connected on nearly 46 percent of their attempts. Lake Forest had a slight 34-32 edge in rebounds and forced 16 turnovers while committing 14.
Lawrence led by as many as six points early in the game and by five with four minutes to play in the opening period. The Foresters then closed out the half with a 10-2 run and took a 28-25 lead into the locker room at intermission.
Lake Forest gradually extended its advantage to a game-high 10 points on a layup by junior forward Bledi Dervishi with 14:37 remaining in the contest. The Vikings fought back and tied the score at 49 with seven minutes to play. The game was tied again at 51, 53, and 57 before Lawrence went ahead for good on a basket with 2:07 left. The margin reached five points before a three-pointer by Beck accounted for the final score with 2.1 seconds on the clock. The Vikings were able to inbound the ball and avoid the Foresters looking to foul to secure the victory.
Lake Forest fell to 7-15 overall this season and 5-12 in Midwest Conference play while the Vikings raised their overall record to 12-10 and league mark to 10-7.
The Foresters will close out the 2012-13 season at Monmouth College Saturday at 5:00 p.m.