Junior forward Delaney Sjong led Lake Forest with a career-high 18 points in the team's 69-64 victory at Beloit College on Saturday.
Sjong made all five of her field goal attempts, shot 8-for-11 from the free throw line, and tied for the team lead with seven rebounds before fouling out with five minutes remaining.
Sophomore forward Maggie Kersting replaced Sjong in the lineup and knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Foresters the lead for good with 3:58 to play. She also made a layup on the next trip down the court, finishing off a 10-1 run that turned a 60-54 deficit into a three-point lead for the visitors. The score remained 64-61 until a Buccaneer free throw with 1:23 left. Baskets by sophomore guards Meona Feather with 56.1 seconds on the clock and Maddie Glennon with 25.4 ticks left made the score 68-62 and Lake Forest held on for the victory.
The Foresters led by as many as eight points in the opening quarter but trailed 17-16 when it ended. The lead changed hands five times in the second quarter and the teams went into the locker room at halftime tied at 29. Neither team led by more than four points in the third and the score was tied again at 49 with a quarter to play. Beloit scored the first seven points of the fourth to set up the Lake Forest comeback.
Feather and Forester senior guard Zaria Sydnor finished with a dozen points apiece and Kersting added nine points and matched Sjong with seven boards. Sydnor and freshman guard Katie Neher each recorded four steals and Feather had three assists to tie junior guard Kelsey Burton for team-high honors.
Lake Forest shot 44 percent and Beloit 47 percent from the field but the teams combined to make just 10 of 43 attempts from three-point range. The visitors had a 36-29 edge in rebounds on a game marred by 50 fouls and 46 turnovers.
The victory evened the Foresters' overall record at 10-10 and they are now 7-6 in Midwest Conference play. Beloit fell to 3-18 overall and 1-13 in the league.
Lake Forest will host Lawrence University on Wednesday with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.