A strong second half and a double-double by sophomore guard Kelsey Burton gave Lake Forest at 72-54 victory at Grinnell College on Saturday. The win also clinched a spot for Lake Forest in next weekend's four-team Midwest Conference Tournament at Ripon College.
Burton led all players in the contest with 25 points and her 10 rebounds tied her with Forester senior forward Hannah Hiland for game-high honors. Lake Forest sophomore guard Jaianna Brooks, senior forward Hannah O'Day, and junior guard Zaria Sydnor also reached double figures with 13, 12, and 11 points, respectively. Sydnor also dished out seven assists while Brooks added six assists and a pair of steals. Junior forward Molly Schoenlein chipped in with five blocked shots and her 42 blocks on the year rank second in program history, trailing only the 44 she recorded last season.
It was a tale of two halves for the Foresters, who were outscored 36-26 during the game's first 20 minutes. A 11-0 run early in the third quarter put the visitors on top but Grinnell quickly regained the lead. The scored was tied three times late in the period and the teams were knotted at 52 going into the fourth. Lake Forest scored the first eight points of the final stanza and the Pioneers' only points of the quarter came on a jumper with 5:41 to play. Burton scored seven points during a 12-point run to close out the contest.
Lake Forest finished the game shooting 41.9 percent from the field while limiting Grinnell to just 31.7. The Foresters outscored the home team 24-15 on three-pointers and out-rebounded the Pioneers 48-34 on the afternoon.
The victory raised the Foresters' overall record on the season to 13-12 and the team finished the regular season in third place in the MWC standings at 12-6 in league play. Grinnell completed the season 8-16 overall and 6-12 in the conference.
Lake Forest will take on Monmouth College in the semifinals of the MWC Tournament next Friday evening at 7:00.