Sophomore guard Kelsey Burton finished with a team-high 18 points but Lake Forest was defeated 64-53 at Ripon College on Thursday.
Burton also led the visitors with four assists and added three steals. Junior guard Zaria Sydnor was the only other Forester in double figures with 10 points and she matched Burton's three steals.
The Foresters shot just 29.2 percent from the floor and did not make a three-pointer in 14 attempts. The Red Hawks connected on 43.4 percent of their field goal attempts and had a commanding 53-26 edge in rebounds. Lake Forest was able to stay in the game by forcing 20 turnovers while committing just six, the program's lowest total since early in the 2011-12 season.
Ripon scored the game's first points and led throughout the contest. The Foresters trailed 10-8 at the end of the opening quarter and 30-17 after 20 minutes of play.
Lake Forest outscored the Red Hawks 14-5 in the first four-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter to pull to within four but the margin returned to 13 points at 51-38 when it ended. The visitors mounted another comeback in the fourth and trimmed the deficit to four once again at 57-53 with three minutes to play. Ripon, however, scored the game's final nine points to close out the victory.
The loss dropped the Foresters' overall record to 9-11 and Midwest Conference mark to 8-5. The Red Hawks improved to 12-8 overall and remained tied atop the MWC standings at 11-2 in the conference.
After three consecutive games on the road, Lake Forest will host Beloit College Saturday afternoon at 1:00.