Senior guard Jordan Moran came off the bench to grab a game-high 10 rebounds but the Forester men's basketball team was edged out 80-77 by Marietta College on Saturday in the consolation game of the D3 Desert Invitational.
With Moran leading the way, Lake Forest out-rebounded the Pioneers 42-27. The Foresters also posted a higher shooting percentage, knocking down 46.9 percent of shots from the field to Marietta's 43.1 percent. Lake Forest, however, was outscored 39-24 on three-pointers and committed 15 turnovers while forcing just 10.
Sophomore guard Sean Espinosa led the Foresters with 18 points and six assists and junior guards Aram Arslanian and Sam Husting finished with 15 points apiece. Senior forward Danny Sotos also scored in double figures with 11 and became the 15th player in program history to surpass 1,100 points in his career.
The Foresters trailed by as many as nine points in the opening period but pulled back to within one by halftime. The final 20 minutes featured nine ties and six lead changes, the last on a traditional three-point play for the Pioneers that put them ahead 75-74 with two minutes to play. After a couple of free throws extended the margin to three with 41 seconds to play, Espinosa connected on a jumper 10 seconds later to make the score 77-76. Marietta made three more free throws in four attempts during the final 20 seconds and held on for the victory.
Lake Forest is now 6-5 on the season while Marietta, the eighth-ranked team in the country, improved to 11-1.
The Foresters will resume Midwest Conference play at Beloit College on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.