Junior guard Eric Porter connected nine times from three-point range and scored 35 points but the Lake Forest College men's basketball team was defeated 117-112 at Grinnell College on Saturday.
Already the only player in program history to make more than eight three-pointers in a game after knocking down a school record 11 last year, Porter shot 9-for-15 from beyond the arc on Saturday.
Four other Foresters scored in double figures, including senior forward Jim Schick, who posted his second career triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and a career-high-tying 12 assists. Schick shot 4-for-5 from the floor and 10-for-14 from the free throw line in the contest. Sophomore guard Jordan Moran was 8-for-12 from the floor and matched Schick with 18 points while senior guard Andrew Toth and sophomore forward Danny Sotos added a dozen points apiece.
Lake Forest shot 65.6 percent from the field and 12-for-21 from three-point range in the game. The Pioneers were successful on 45.6 percent of field goal attempts, including 16 of 46 shots from beyond the arc. The Foresters had a 45-30 edge in rebounds but committed 29 turnovers while forcing just nine.
Porter made three long-range shots during an 11-0 Forester run that gave the Foresters a 26-19 lead after less than seven minutes of play. He also capped off a 16-3 run with another three-pointer to make it a 20-point game at 58-38. The margin grew to as many as 22 points and Lake Forest led 70-53 after the highest-scoring half in team history.
An 18-2 run by Grinnell early in the second half cut the Forester lead to just four points. The Pioneers then answered a 9-0 Lake Forest run with one of their own, making the score 87-83 with 10:52 left. The visitors' lead grew to 11 points at 104-93 with six-and-a-half minutes to play but 11 consecutive Pioneer points in a 90-second span tied the game at 104. Grinnell took a 108-106 lead on a basket with 3:38 on the clock and the Foresters trailed the rest of the way. They closed to within a point three times, the last on a basket by Moran with 33 seconds left, but the home team made all four of its free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the victory.
The loss leaves Lake Forest with a 1-5 overall record and 1-2 mark in Midwest Conference play so far this season. Grinnell improved to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the league.
The Foresters will continue conference play at Illinois College on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
