Junior guard Aram Arslanian led all players with a season-high 21 points but Lake Forest was defeated 63-62 on a basket with just 0.5 seconds on the clock Wednesday night at St. Norbert College.
Arslanian connected on 8 of 13 shots from the field, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. He also dished out a game-high four assists in the contest.
Senior forward Danny Sotos was the only other Foresters to score in double figures, finishing with 17 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the floor. Sotos also grabbed seven rebounds, tying with junior guard Sam Husting for team-high honors.
Both teams knocked down 25 field goal attempts on the night. Lake Forest outscored the Green Knights 21-12 on three-pointers but the home team had a 9-5 edge in free throws. Rebounds were nearly even with the Foresters holding a slight 35-34 edge. Turnovers were not, as St. Norbert committed seven and Lake Forest a dozen.
The home team led by as many as six points in the first half but by just three at 27-24 when it ended. Scoring picked up a little in the second and a three-pointer by Husting with 15 minutes left gave the Foresters the lead and started an 18-6 run that made the score 50-40 with nine minutes remaining. The Green Knights responded with 13 straight points to regain the lead with less than five minutes to play but the visitors came right back and went ahead by one on an acrobatic three-point play by Sotos with 3:48 to go. The teams traded baskets for the next few minutes and the Foresters were ahead by a single point again in the final minute. A pair of turnovers by the visitors in the final 60 seconds gave the Knights an opportunity to win the game on the final possession and the ball dropped through the hoop with just 0.5 seconds left.
The loss dropped the Foresters' overall record on the season to 10-6 and Midwest Conference mark to 6-3. St. Norbert is 11-5 overall and still perfect in the MWC after nine conference contests.
Lake Forest will host Monmouth College on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.