Clutch free throws by senior Zaria Sydnor late in the contest helped Lake Forest secure a 65-63 victory at St. Norbert College Wednesday night in the Midwest Conference opener for both teams.
The Foresters were trailing 63-62 when Sydnor drove to the basket and drew a foul with 17.7 seconds on the clock. She knocked down both free throws to put Lake Forest on top for good. Junior forward Delaney Sjong grabbed the rebound of a missed Green Knight layup with 10.4 seconds to play and Sydnor went back to the line again with 6.5 ticks left. She made the first and missed the second, making it a 65-63 game. St. Norbert's final shot was unseccessful and the Foresters escaped with the victory.
The home team was ahead 17-15 after the opening quarter, 31-29 at halftime, and 51-47 going into the final period. There were nine lead changes in the first three quarters and seven more in the fourth, the first on a basket by Lake Forest junior guard Kelsey Burton with six minutes remaining and the last on Sydnor's free throws. Neither team led by more than two at any point in between.
Sophomore guard Meona Feather led Lake Forest and tied for game-high honors with 16 points while Burton finished with 15 and Sydnor 14. Sydnor's six assists and freshman center Katie Fagan's six rebounds were also team-highs.
Lake Forest shot 37.9 percent from the field and 6-for-24 from three-point range while St. Norbert connected on 35.6 percent of their field goal attempts but on just 2 of 12 tries from beyond the arc. The Foresters outscored the home team 15-9 from the foul line and won despite being out-rebounded 51-39 on the night.
The Foresters evened their overall record at 4-4 while St. Norbert fell to 1-5.
Lake Forest will continue league play at home next Wednesday night against Monmouth College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.