The Forester women's basketball team was defeated 71-65 by California Lutheran University Monday night at the Hoop N Surf Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Senior guard Emily Weber led Lake Forest with a career-high 28 points in the contest.
Weber's 28 points were 10 more than she had ever scored during a collegiate game and the most by a Forester in more than two years. She shot 7-for-10 from the field, including a 6-for-9 performance from three-point range, and made eight of 10 attempts from the free throw line.
Sophomore guard Sam Schuring was the only other Lake Forest player in double figures with 14 points. She and senior guard Aimee Lockwood each dished out a team-high four assists and Lockwood led the squad with eight rebounds.
The Foresters shot just 34 percent from the field but made 10 of 27 three-pointers and 23 of 29 free throws. Cal Lutheran shot 49 percent from the floor, made four of eight shots from beyond the arc, and connected on 19 of 30 foul shots. Lake Forest had a slight 32-31 edge in rebounds but committed 26 turnovers while forcing 20.
Cal Lutheran jumped out to a 13-2 advantage and led by as many as 12 points early in the contest. The Foresters outscored the Regals 22-9 during a seven-minute span later in the period to turn a 10-point deficit into a 33-30 lead. The Regals, however, closed out the half with a 10-2 run and led 40-35 at intermission.
After Cal Lutheran opened up a 52-40 lead early in the second half, Lake Forest went on a 13-2 run to close to within a point with 10:26 to play. A basket by Weber with six minutes left finally tied the score and she made one of two free throws 34 seconds later to give the Foresters their only lead of the period. The Regals held Lake Forest scoreless for the next 4-plus minutes and knocked down all four of their free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory.
The Foresters will resume Midwest Conference play in their next game on Wednesday, January 5. The team will host St. Norbert College at 7:00 p.m. and a live video webcast of the contest will be available at lfc.nmtvsports.com. Live stats will also be available on the Lake Forest College Athletics website.
