Fast Second Half Start Leads Lake Forest to Victory at Beloit College

The Forester women's basketball team prevailed 71-61 at Beloit College Friday avaning (January 15). Lake Forest has now won four games in a row and is 9-3 overall and undefeated in five Midwest Conference games. The Buccaneers fell to 5-8 overall and 3-3 in league play.

Seniors Lisa Nassin (Evergreen Park, Ill./Evergreen Park) and Tracy Rainey (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) led the Foresters with 17 and 16 points, respecitvely. Rainey, a guard, shot 8-for-11 from the field and paced the squad with seven rebounds and four steals. Nassin, a center, was 7-for-10 from the floor and her career-high six assists tied for the team lead with junior guard Emily Weber (Cincinnati, Ohio/Seven Hills School). Freshman guard Sam Schuring (Elk Grove, Calif./Elk Grove) shot 3-for-3 from three-point range, scored 11 points, and added five assists.

Lake Forest shot 60.9 percent from the field compared to 40 percent for Beloit. The Foresters were also an efficient 5-for-11 from beyond the arc and slightly out-rebounded the home team 31-29 but committed 20 turnovers while forcing just 14.

The Foresters scored the game's first seven points but the Buccaneers came back and eventually took an 18-17 lead with 7:39 to play in the opening period. Lake Forest regained the advantage but a 10-2 Beloit run to close out the half gave the home team a 31-28 advantage at intermission.

Nassin scored half of Lake Forest's points during a decisive 12-0 run to open the second half. Beloit closed to within three points three times later in the game, the last time with 4:37 remaining, but got no closer. The Foresters scored the next five points to pull away and made all four of their free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.

Lake Forest will play at Lawrence University tomorrow afternoon at 2:00. A live video webcasts of the game will be available at pennatlantic.com.