The Lake Forest College men's basketball team began its 2021-22 season with an 80-74 loss at Aurora University Friday night.
After averaging a double-double during an eight-game abbreviated season in the spring, Forester junior forward Johnny Roeser scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds at Aurora.
After scoring just two points in the first half, Lake Forest senior point guard Sean Espinosa finished with a team-high 18. Freshman wing Ethan Augusto connected on five three-pointers in the contest and scored 17 points.
The Foresters shot 40.3 percent from the field as a team while the Spartans were at 45.8. Lake Forest was also just 9-for-32 from three-point range and 13-for-22 from the foul line while Aurora made 11 of 24 shots from beyond the arc and three of eight free throws. The visitors had a 50-40 edge in rebounds but committed 18 turnovers while forcing 11.
Aurora outscored the Foresters 9-2 in the game's first three minutes but trailed by eight (27-19) just 10 minutes later. An 8-2 run by the home team to close out the opening period made the score 31-29 in favor of Lake Forest at halftime.
The game was tied six times in the second half, the last at 51 with 10:52 to play. The Spartans then went on an 18-8 run before nine consecutive points in a 2-minute span by the Foresters made it a one-point game (69-68) with 3:15 left. Lake Forest got no closer, however, as clutch three-pointers by Aurora with 3:08 and 1:44 on he clock and three free throws in the final 30 seconds help secure the season-opening victory for the home team.
Lake Forest's Ryan Davis will try again for his first victory as the College's head coach Sunday afternoon at Illinois Wesleyan University. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00.