Foresters Start 2017 with Convincing Victory at Monmouth

Photo by Matt Weidner
Photo by Matt Weidner

Sophomore guard Hannah O'Day led Lake Forest with a career-high 13 points as the Forester women's basketball team prevailed 65-43 at Monmouth College on Wednesday.

O'Day, who had scored a total of nine points in her first eight games as a Forester, shot 5-for-9 from the field, connected on her only attempt from three-point range, and made both of her free throws in the contest. She also matched one career-high with six points and established another with five steals.

Sophomore forward Hannah Hiland was next on the team with a dozen points as the Lake Forest reserves outscored the starters 34-31. Hiland was one of four players on the team with two blocked shots as the team tied a program record with 10 blocks on the evening.

Forester junior guard Kelsey Schmitt added 10 points while senior forward Brittany Avonts finished with eight points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds. Junior forward Kara Norvet led the visitors with five assists.

The Foresters shot 40.7 percent from the field while limiting Monmouth to just 26.8 shooting and out-rebounding the home team 47-34.

Lake Forest trailed 5-4 early in the game before rattling off 15 consecutive points, the final nine on three-pointers. The Foresters were ahead 21-8 after the first quarter and extended their lead to 16 points early in the second. Eight straight points by the Fighting Scots cut the margin in half but the visitors outscored Monmouth 7-4 to close out the period and led 35-24 at halftime.

The Foresters opened the second half with a 10-2 run and led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, which ended with Lake Forest leading 52-33. O'Day scored the first four points of the fourth quarter and the visitors led by at least 17 the rest of the way.

The victory improved the Foresters' overall record to 3-7 and Midwest Conference mark to 2-3. Monmouth fell to 1-9 overall and 1-4 in the league.

Lake Forest will play its first home game in a month-and-a-half on Saturday against Ripon College. The contest will begin at 1:00 p.m.