The Forester men's basketball team trimmed a 16-point deficit to one but fell 69-68 at the University of La Verne on Sunday.
Trailing 63-47, the Foresters began their comeback attempt with a little more than 10 minutes to play. Seven straight points cut the deficit to nine and the teams traded baskets for the next few minutes. Baskets by senior wing Johnny Roeser and sophomore guard Alex Knight made it a 67-62 game with 1:50 remaining and a pair of free throws by junior guard Rocco Ronzio made it a five-point game again with 44.2 seconds left. Knight drove to the basket and was fouled making the layup with 22.8 seconds on the clock. He missed the free throw but Roeser grabbed the rebound and scored to make it a 69-68 game with 19.5 seconds to play. Lake Forest fad a chance to win the game after a missed free throw but was unable to convert in the closing seconds.
Knight led all players in the contest with a career-high 22 points and Roeser turned in his third double-double of the season and 16th as a Forester with 10 points and a game-high 11 boards. Ronzio also reached double figures with 11 points and sophomore guard Elijah Bull led the visitors with four assists.
The visitors shot 44 percent from the field while La Verne was at 48 percent. The Foresters had a slight 34-32 edge in rebounds and committed 11 turnovers while forcing 16.
Lake Forest fell to 2-8 on the season while La Verne improved to 3-6.
The Foresters will continue their trip to California with a game at the University of Redlands Tuesday night at 7:00 (PT).
