Double-doubles by junior forward Brittany Avonts and senior forward K.C. Stralka helped lead the Lake Forest College women's basketball team to a 63-59 victory at Illinois College on Saturday.
Avonts finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Stralka scored 12 points and pulled down 11 boards. They combined to shoot 11-for-19 from the field and each added a pair of blocked shots.
Junior guard Tara Gloystein led Lake Forest with a career-high 15 points and also had two steals.
The Foresters shot 45.5 percent from the field while limiting the Lady Blues to just 27.1 percent. Both teams made two three-pointers, although Lake Forest did so on just two attempts while the home team shot 17 times from beyond the arc. Illinois College outscored their guests 25-11 from the foul line and committed just 13 turnovers while forcing 22. The Foresters had a 43-38 edge in rebounds.
The visitors scored the game's first 10 points and led by as many as 13 in the first quarter, which ended the the Foresters ahead 20-8. The margin grew to as many as 17 points in the second period but was back at 12 (37-25) at halftime.
Illinois College outscored Lake Forest 23-6 in the third period, turning a 12-point deficit into a 48-43 lead. Trailing 50-45 early in the fourth quarter, the Foresters regained the lead after a three-pointer by Avonts, a free throw from Gloystein, and a basket by sophomore guard Kelsey Schmitt. After the Lady Blues tied the score at 51, four Forester free throws gave them a 55-51 advantage with 4:53 remaining. Stralka responded to a basket by the home team with a traditional three-point play, making the score 58-53 with 3:58 left. Four Illinois College free throws cut the lead to one but Stralka found Avonts for a layup with 2:18 to play. The Lady Blues missed their next five shots and the Foresters closed out the victory.
After winning its third straight game, Lake Forest is 6-5 overall this season and tied for second place in the Midwest Conference standings with a league mark of 5-2. Illinois College fell to 8-5 overall and 5-3 in the conference.
The Foresters will play their next three games at home, beginning with Tuesday night's tilt against Ripon College, which is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
