Freshman wing Reece Taylor finished with a season-high 21 points and eight rebounds Tuesday night but Lake Forest was edged out 93-91 by visiting Elmhurst College.
Taylor shot 8-for-11 from the field, made three of four attempts from beyond the arc, and grabbed four boards at each end of the court.
Forester freshman guard Aidyn Albright led all players with 22 points while junior guard Sean Espinosa and sophomore guard Tashon Brown added 16 and 13, respectively. Albright also led Lake Forest with four steals and Brown chipped in with seven rebounds and a team-high four assists.
After a slow start, the Foresters shot 46.2 percent from the field and 10-for-32 on three-pointers. The Bluejays connected on exactly half of their field goal attempts but on just four of 18 shots from long-range. Lake Forest missed just four free throws in 25 tries while Elmhurst was 23-for-32 from the line. The visitors had a 43-33 edge in rebounds.
Elmhurst scored the first nine points of the game and the Foresters the next eight. The home team tied the score at 13 but then surrendered the next 13 points. The margin reached 14 points in the opening period and was eight at 46-38 at halftime.
Lake Forest closed to within three points early in the second half but were outscored 20-11 over the next seven minutes and trailed by a dozen with 11:30 to play. A Taylor three-pointer then capped off an 18-8 Forester run and it was just a two-point game with seven-and-a-half minutes left. The Elmhurst lead increased to seven but a dunk by freshman forward Victor Novy, a layup by Espinosa, and another three-pointer by Taylor tied the score at 79 with 4:30 remaining. After Elmhurst quickly regained the lead, Taylor knocked down a second consecutive straightaway three-pointer to put the home team on top for the first time on the night. The lead changed hands five more times, the last on a Bluejay basket with 35.8 seconds on the clock. The visitors held on and remained perfect after four games this season.
The Foresters fell to 3-2 and will begin Midwest Conference play next Wednesday at St. Norbert College. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
