Junior guard Kelsey Burton led Lake Forest with 16 points in a 70-62 loss to Wisconsin Lutheran College Saturday afternoon in the consolation game of Wheaton College's Beth Baker Classic.
The Foresters trailed 18-7 at the end of the first quarter and surrendered the first nine points of the second. After the margin reached 21 with three minutes to play in the half, Lake Forest scored 13 of the game's next 17 points and faced a 35-23 deficit at halftime.
Wisconsin Lutheran increased its lead to 15 points several times in the third quarter but it was just an 11-point game at 50-39 when it ended. A jumper by Forester senior guard Zaria Sydnor with 9:12 to play trimmed the lead to nine points. Lake Forest continue to cut into the deficit and trailed by just five after a three-pointer by sophomore forward Kara Schoenlein with 6:14 remaining. A pair of free throws by freshman center Katie Fagan with 2:46 left made it a four-point game, as did a layup by Fagan at 1:55, two free throws by Sydnor at 1:12, and a layup by Sydnor with just 31 seconds on the clock. The Foresters were unable to score again and four Warrior free throws secured the victory.
Sydnor joined Burton in double figures with 14 points and Fagan was next on the team with eight. Freshman guard Katie Neher had a team-high six rebounds while Burton led the squad with three assists.
Lake Forest shot just 37 percent from the field while Wisconsin Lutheran connected on 52.1 percent of field goal attempts. The Foresters 21-15 on three-pointers and 13-11 on foul shots but had a 38-27 edge on the board and committed 15 turnovers while forcing 19.
Both teams are now at the .500 mark for the season, Lake Forest at 2-2 and Wisconsin Lutheran at 1-1.
The Foresters will host Carthage College Wednesday night at 7:00.