Sophomore guard Tashon Brown finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high-tying nine assists against Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday but Lake Forest fell 94-90.
Junior guard Sean Espinosa outscored Brown by one and added five rebounds and five assists. Freshman forward Victor Novy was third on the team with 11 points while junior wing Michael Drew Jr. and freshman forward Frank Siegien became the eighth and ninth Foresters to score in double figures at least once this season with 10 apiece.
Siegien was a perfect 5-for-5 and Drew 4-for-5 from the field as the home team shot 54.3 percent for the game. The Titans shot just 44.4 percent but outscored the Foresters 23-6 from the foul line and had a 42-32 edge in rebounds.
The first half was close throughout with 15 lead changes and a lead of no more than four points for either team. The visitors took a 44-42 lead into the locker room at the half.
Back-to-back baskets by senior wing Aram Arslanian to start the second half gave the Foresters a 46-44 advantage but Illinois Wesleyan responded with a 15-2 run over the next three minutes. The margin grew to 17 points at 71-54 with nine minutes to play before Lake Forest began its comeback effort. A three-pointer by senior guard Sam Husting with 3:26 remaining made it a seven-point game, a layup by Siegien pulled the Foresters to within five with two minutes left, and the deficit was down to four after am Espinosa three-pointer with 34 seconds on the clock. The home team got no closer, however, as the Titans went 5-for-6 from the line down the stretch to secure the victory.
The loss was the first in four games this year for the Foresters while Illinois Wesleyan improved to 4-1.
Lake Forest will host Elmhurst College Tuesday night at 7:00.
