The Monmouth College men’s basketball team used a 23-0 run in the second half to put away Lake Forest 79-46 in the Midwest Conference opener on Tuesday night. The Fighting Scots (4-1, 1-0) picked up their largest margin of victory in a MWC game in nearly nine years with the 33-point victory and had their fewest points allowed in nearly 50 years.
Lake Forest led 3-0 before Jordan HIll (Chicago, Illinois) scored four straight for the Fighting Scots. After the Foresters made a layup, Hill scored another five points, including a 3-pointer and Zay Brown (Peoria, Illinois) completed a 3-point play for a 12-5 lead. Lake Forest cut the lead to 15-13 before Max Maring (Port Byron, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key. Jason Huber (Carpentersville, Illinois) scored for a 20-13 lead and Kyle Taylor (Moline, Illinois) made a layup. The Foresters scored five in a row and Cam Thomas (Arlington, Texas) scored to get the Scots back up by six. Taylor answered a Foresters layup with one of his own and Declan Flynn (Monmouth, Illinois) scored for a 28-20 lead. Thomas scored with 30 seconds left in the half and Monmouth took a 30-22 lead into the break.
Flynn scored early in the second half for Monmouth but the Foresters answered. Thomas put Monmouth back up by eight with a slick layup after a cross-over sent his defender reeling. Flynn had a putback for a 36-26 lead and layups from Taylor, Hill and Maring pushed the lead to 14. Brown had a 3-point play and Taylor made two free throws for a 47-30 lead. Huber drilled a 3-pointer for a 20-point lead and Maring made two free throws for a 52-30 lead with 10:00 left.
Kamran Banks (Springfield, Illinois) followed his own miss with a layup and Brennen McNally (Paw Paw, Illinois) scored in the low post for a 58-30 lead. Banks scored again and Huber drilled a 3-pointer for a 21-0 run and a 63-30 lead. The run extended on a layup by Banks before LFC finally scored their first points in more than six minutes. With the lead at 29, Junior Sylvestre (Fort Myers, Florida) scored as did Flynn. Banks made a 3-pointer for a 72-36 lead and Jay Brown (Lansing, Illinois) scored in the lane. Damarian Stark (Roscoe, Illinois) put the Scots up 76-44 with a putback and Sylvestre finished the scoring with a 3-pointer for a 79-46 win.
Hill finished with 11 points, nine in the opening minutes. Maring also had 11 points while Banks had nine. Maring led Monmouth with nine rebounds while Taylor had seven boards, three assists and two steals.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Hill has been in double figures in all five games this season … Taylor was 2-for-2 at the free throw line and is 22-for-24 on the season … Twelve players scored for the Scots and nine had at least five points … Monmouth was 6-for-18 from 3-point range and held LFC to 4-of-28 (14.3%) … The Scots helped LFC to 28% shooting from the field … Monmouth out-rebounded Lake Forest 49-30 and grabbed 14 offensive boards … The Scots won the battle in the paint 50-26 and second chance points 23-7 …Monmouth had 39 points off the bench … Monmouth went on a 23-0 run over a 5:02 span in the second half … The largest lead was 36 points at 72-36 … The margin of victory was the largest for Monmouth over Lake Forest since a 97-48 win during the 1972-73 season … The 33-point win marks the largest margin of victory in a conference game for Monmouth since a 89-47 win over Illinois College on Jan. 6, 2016 … It is the third largest win for the Scots under Coach Skrivseth … The 46 points is the least allowed since holding William Penn to 42 points in the 1975-76 season… The 46 points is tied for the fewest points allowed in the shot clock era … Lake Forest leads the all-time series 55-39 … Monmouth has won four of the last six and are 12-13 in the 25 games under Coach Skrivseth … The Scots host Beloit on Sunday after the 1 p.m. women’s game.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
