Senior forward Danny Sotos poured in a season-high-tying 25 points but the Lake Forest College men's basketball team was defeated 118-92 at Loras College, the 21st-ranked team in the nation, on Saturday.
Sotos made five of seven attempts from three-point range and shot 9-for-15 from the field overall while adding four assists to his stat line. Sophomore guard Sean Espinosa was next on the squad with 23 points and freshman guard Tashon Brown added 15. Espinosa and Brown shared the team lead in assists with five apiece and Espinosa also finished with four steals.
The Foresters posted a solid .464 shooting percentage and connected on a season-high 14 three-pointers in 33 attempts (42.4%). The Duhawks, however, shot a blistering 70.8 percent from the field and knocked down 15 of 24 three-pointers. The home team also had a 39-21 edge in rebounds.
Sotos accounted for Lake Forest's first 10 points and outscored Loras by himself during the game's first three minutes. He added a three-pointer to give the visitors a 16-12 advantage less than five minutes into the contest but the Duhawks rattled off the next 13 points. After trailing by as many as 13 points in the opening period, the Foresters closed to within six on multiple occasions and faced a 54-45 deficit at halftime.
Three-pointers by Sotos and Espinosa in the first minute of the second half made it a five-point game and the Foresters closed to within five again at 62-57 a couple of minutes later. They would get no closer, however, as the Duhawks pulled away, extending their lead to double figures at the 14:43 mark and keeping it there the rest of the way.
Lake Forest is now 4-3 on the season while Loras improved to 6-1.
The Foresters will resume Midwest Conference play at Monmouth College next Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled to 7:30 p.m.