The Forester women's basketball team defeated visiting Knox College 77-45 Tuesday night. Lake Forest sophomore guard Alex Messacar had already surpassed her career-high with 14 points at halftime and finished the game with 21 to lead the home team.
Messacar shot 6-for-12 from the field, including a 5-for-10 performance from three-point range, and made four of five free throws.
Fellow Forester sophomore guard Sam Schuring was next on the squad with 15 points, including 13 in the second half. She also dished out a career-high nine assists and added four steals. Freshman forward Lauren Erickson shot 6-for-11 from the field and scored a career-high 13 points while senior guard Aimee Lockwood shot 4-for-5 from the floor and finished with 11 points, three assists, and a team-high seven rebounds.
Lake Forest shot 42.6 percent from the field, 8-for-20 from beyond the arc, and 11-for-15 from the free throw line in the contest. The Prairie Fire made just one-third of their field goal attempts, three of 12 three-pointers and six of 14 foul shots. The Foresters had a 44-38 edge in rebounds and committed just 17 turnovers while forcing 27.
The home team took the lead for good on a Lockwood three-pointer less than three minutes into the game. Knox, however, kept the score close throughout the first half and trailed by just six points (40-34) at halftime.
The margin was eight points (47-39) early in the second half when the Foresters began a 28-3 run that spanned 14 minutes of game time. Knox was held to just two field goals in the final 16 minutes of the contest, one with 10:31 to play and the other with less than five seconds on the clock.
Lake Forest evened its overall record on the season at 5-5 and raised its Midwest Conference mark to 3-2. The Prairie Fire fell to 3-9 overall and 2-5 in league games.
The Foresters will continue conference play at home this weekend. Lake Forest will host Ripon College at 5:00 Friday evening and Beloit College Saturday afternoon at 3:00. Links to live video and live stats for both games will be available on the Lake Forest College Athletics website.