Junior guard Zaria Sydnor scored a career-high 16 points to help lead Lake Forest to a 67-59 victory over Monmouth College at home on Saturday.
Sydnor was perfect during an 11-point first half, making all three of her shots from the field, including a three-pointer, and four free throws. She also recorded a pair of steals in the half and three in the contest.
Monmouth scored the first five points of the game and led throughout the opening period, which ended with the visitors ahead 18-15. The Foresters trailed 20-17 before outscoring the Fighting Scots 22-3 in the final six minutes before halftime. Sydnor scored six points and sophomore guard Kelsey Burton nine during the run, which sent the teams to the locker room at halftime with the home team holding a 39-23 lead.
After being outscored 24-5 in the second quarter, Monmouth poured in 22 points to the Foresters' seven in the third. A 10-1 run by the Scots to close out the period made it a one-point game going into the fourth. Burton started off the final quarter with a four-point play and a basket by sophomore guard Jaianna Brooks on the Foresters' next possession gave them a seven-point lead. The visitors closed back to within two on a free throw with with 2:22 to play and neither team scored again until a four-point play by Lake Forest senior forward Hannah O'Day with 50.6 seconds remaining. Forester senior forward Hannah Hiland countered Monmouth baskets by making two free throws with 31.9 seconds left and two more with 24.4 on the clock. Burton added two more free throws with 18.4 seconds to play to finish off the victory.
Burton led Lake Forest with 21 points and nine rebounds in the contest while O'Day scored 14 points and matched her career-high with four assists.
The Foresters shot 46 percent from the field while limiting the Scots to just 34.6 percent. Differences in other statistical categories were minimal, with the home team connecting on six three-pointers and Monmouth five while the Scots outscored Lake Forest 18-15 from the free throw line and committed two fewer turnovers (16-18). Both teams finished with 32 rebounds.
After splitting the season series, both teams are 8-2 in the Midwest Conference and a game behind league-leading Ripon College in the standings. Lake Forest improved to 9-8 overall while Monmouth fell to 13-4.
The Foresters will play a pair of conference games on the road net weekend, traveling to Illinois College on Friday for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off before going for a season sweep of Knox College at 1:00 Saturday afternoon.
