The Lake Forest College men's basketball team was defeated 75-68 at Monmouth College Tuesday night.
The Fighting Scots jumped out to a 20-4 lead and were ahead by 16 again at 27-11 when the Foresters began to come back. The visitors scored the game's next nine points and eventually closed to within six (37-31) at halftime.
Back-to-back jumpers, the second from beyond the arc, by freshman forward Noah Deitch cut the deficit to a single point but the Foresters were unable to draw even or take the lead. Monmouth increased its lead to 14 points at 58-44 before another comeback effort by Lake Forest. The margin shrunk back down to three points on multiple occasions late in the game but the Fighting Scots were able to maintain their lead and secure the victory.
Sophomore guard Alex Knight led the Foresters with 17 points while three others reached double figures. Freshman forward Matthew Heyne shot 6-for-7 from the field and finished with a career-high 14 points. Freshman guard Elijah Bull matches Heyne's scoring output and Deitch chipped in with 12.
Lake Forest senior wing Johnny Roeser grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds but Monmouth finished the game with a slight 34-31 edge on the boards. The home team shot 47.5 percent from the field while the Foresters were at just 41.5 percent.
The loss dropped Lake Forest's overall record on the season to 1-6 and Midwest Conference mark to 0-2. It was the first league game of the year for the Scots, who are now 4-3 overall.
The Foresters will close out the fall semester against visiting Cornell College on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.