Junior forward Danny Sotos poured in a game-high 23 points to help lead the Forester men's basketball team to an 84-72 triumph at Beloit College on Tuesday.
Sotos shot 6-for-11 from the field and knocked down three of five attempts from three-point range and eight of nine foul shots. He scored 16 points and senior guard Eric Porter added 13 in the opening period as the visitors jumped out to a 47-30 halftime lead.
Beloit actually led by as many as five points early in the game and was ahead by three before Lake Forest scored a dozen points in a row to begin a decisive 28-6 run. Sotos and Porter each scored eight points during the run and the Foresters took a comfortable 17-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
The home team trimmmed the margin to just 10 points five minutes into the second half but got no closer until the game's final minute. A Buccaneer basket with 30 seconds left made the score 80-72 but Sotos and Porter each connected on a pair of free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Freshman guard Sean Espinosa led the Foresters with 11 points in the second half and he had 13 to go with a game-high five assists on the evening. Porter finished with 17 points and junior guard Jordan Moran led all players in the game with 10 rebounds.
Lake Forest shot 48.1 percent from the field while limiting the Buccaneers to just 39.7. The Foresters outscored the home team 21-8 from the free throw line and had a slight 38-34 edge in rebounds.
The Foresters improved to 3-1 on the young season while Beloit fell to 1-2. It was the Midwest Conference opener for both teams.
Lake Forest will play a non-conference game at the University of Chicago Saturday afternoon at 3:00.
