Sophomore forward Danny Sotos tied for game-high honors with 17 points but the Forester men's basketball team was edged out 66-63 by Cornell College at home on Saturday.
Sotos and Lake Forest junior guard Eric Porter combined to make seven of 16 attempts from three-point range and each finished with 17 points. Sotos added three assist and Porter three steals. Senior forward Jim Schick was next on the team with 14 points and he led the squad with nine rebounds.
The Foresters shot 40.3 percent from the floor while the Rams connected on 44.1 percent of their field goal attempts. Both teams made seven three-pointers, Lake Forest in 26 attempts and Cornell in 19. The home team had a slight 37-34 edge in rebounds.
The lead changed hands seven times in the first half, the last during a 12-0 Cornell run that gave the visitors a 31-21 advantage. The margin was 10 again before a three-pointer and layup by Sotos made the score 36-31 at halftime.
The Rams pulled ahead by 10 again early in the second half but a 10-2 run by Lake Forest cut the difference back down to two. After Cornell extended its lead to nine by the midway point of the period, the Foresters outscored their guests 12-4 over the next four-and-a-half minutes. The home team closed to within a point again on a jumper by Schick with 3:19 remaining and one more time on a Sotos three-pointer with 1:29 to play. Lake Forest had a pair of shots to take the lead but were unable to connect. Cornell scored the final points of the game with 11.1 seconds on the clock and held on for the victory.
The Foresters are now 12-9 overall this season and 10-6 in Midwest Conference play. Cornell improved to 10-11 overall and 9-7 in the conference.
Lake Forest will travel to league-leading St. Norbert College on Tuesday with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
