The Monmouth College women’s basketball team completed a season sweep of Lake Forest with a 69-64 win on Wednesday. The Fighting Scots (8-16, 4-11) will finish their season on Saturday at Illinois College.
“I’m proud of how we played and battled through some of their runs tonight,” said head coach Michelle DeCoud. “We were persistent and that made the difference down the stretch.”
Kynlee Stearns (Gilson, Illinois) scored the first bucket of the game and Averi Rangel (Moline, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer early in the first quarter. Stearns made another layup before Lake Forest pushed the lead to 12-7. Stearns made two free throws and Allie Hoy (Woodland, Illinois) scored off a steal for a 4-0 run. The Foresters hit a 3-pointer to end the quarter with a 15-11 lead.
Down 17-11, Monmouth went on a 7-0 run to take the lead. Brooklyn Sellers (Freeport, Illinois) and Tiah Riggs (Vincennes, Indiana) both scored on either side of a Stearns 3-pointer. Sellers scored again to pull the Scots within one before Lake Forest hit a 3-pointer. Rangel made a pair of free throws for the lead before Lake Forest also made a free throw, Riggs made a bucket and a free throw before Stearns knocked down another 3-pointer for a 28-27 Monmouth lead. Layla Rice (Rock Island, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Hoy hit two free throws for a 33-29 halftime lead.
Sellers scored to start the second half and Stearns hit a jumper for a 37-29 lead. Hoy made two layups and Riggs hit a jumper as the Scots pushed the lead to 10. Rangel hit another 3-pointer and Hoy knocked one down for a 49-33 lead. After a 3-pointer for the visitors, Stearns made a layup and Rice hit a jumper for a 53-40 lead. Riggs and Rice both scored as the Scots took a 57-47 lead into the fourth quarter.
Lake Forest started the fourth quarter on an 6-1 run to pull within five but they also missed a pair of free throws. Stearns stripped the ball at mid court and went in for an uncontested layup for a 60-53 lead. The Foresters scored the next six but turned it over with a chance to take the lead. Riggs scored on a putback for a 62-59 lead as the clock went under three minutes. The Foresters tied the game with a bucket and a free throw but Rangel swished a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left. Lake Forest missed a shot in the lane and Rice grabbed the rebound and called timeout. The Scots turned the ball over but so did Lake Forest and Monmouth called another timeout. Hoy clinched the game with two free throws in the final seconds as the Scots won 69-64.
Stearns led the way with 18 points while both Hoy and Riggs had 13. Rangel scored 11 and Rice added eight. Stearns had seven rebounds while Riggs and Rice had six each. Stearns also had three assists and three steals. Hoy grabbed three steals and a block while Rice added a block.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Stearns has a team-best 16 games with at least 10 points, including seven in a row … She moved into 17th on the career 3-pointers made list with 63 … Stearns has 98 career stealsRice had a career-high eight points and tied her career-high with six rebounds … Hoy moved into a tie for fourth place with Yvonne Ornelas on the career games played list with 99 … She tied her season-high with 13 points … Rangel is the eighth player in Monmouth history with at least 300 3-point attempts … Lake Forest leads the all-time series 44-20 … Monmouth won at LFC 68-62 on Jan. 21 and swept the season series … The teams are 5-5 in the last 10 matchupsMonmouth plays at Illinois College on Saturday to finish the season.
The Monmouth College men’s basketball team withstood a furious comeback to beat Lake Forest 94-85 on Wednesday night. The first-place Fighting Scots (19-5, 14-1) head into Saturday’s regular season finale needing a win to clinch at least a share of the MWC title.
“A big win tonight against a dangerous Lake Forest team,” said head coach Todd Skrivseth. “At times I thought we played very well on both ends of the floor. They gave us multiple looks on defense and we did a nice job of attacking against the man and zones. We were also outstanding on the glass in the first half with a sizeable advantage.”
Zay Brown (Peoria, Illinois) made a free throw for an early lead and scored again for a 3-2 advantage. Cameron Thomas (Arlington, Texas) hit a baseline jumper and Kamran Banks (Springfield, Illinois) scored on a feed by Kyle Taylor (Moline, Illinois). Thomas tied the game and Max Maring (Port Byron, Illinois) put the Scots up 11-9 on a putback, Turner Plumer (Canton, Illinois) made it 13-12 with a move in the lane. The visitors took a 14-13 lead before the Scots went on a 10-0 run. Brown threw down a dunk, Thomas hit a 3-pointer and Connor Watson (Macomb, Illinois) drilled a corner 3-ball. Brown blocked a shot and converted a layup at the other end for a 23-14 lead.
After LFC scored with 10 minutes left in the half, Watson had a strip and layup and Brown hit a jumper for a 27-16 lead. Taylor made a bank shot and Payton Crims (Alsip, Illinois) scored on a layup for a 31-18 lead. The Foresters scored the next four points and Monmouth called timeout. Taylor splashed a 3-pointer out of the break and Maring scored at the rim for a 36-22 lead with 4:29 to play in the half. Taylor hit another 3-pointer and scored in the lane to get into double digits. Crims hit a corner 3-pointer and Monmouth led 44-29 before the Foresters answered with a layup. Crims hit a pair of free throws with 1:45 to play in the half and Banks scored late in the half for a 48-34 lead.
“We got some really good minutes from our bench tonight, particularly Connor and Turner,” said Skrivseth. “Both had great plus-minus minutes for us.”
Taylor started the second half with a layup and Brown hit a long two before LFC made three free throws. Thomas threw down a dunk off a steal and Maring scored at the rim for a 56-39 lead. Brown scored on a fast break before hitting a free throw line jumper for a 62-41 lead. Brown hit another long jumper before Plumer made a free throw after a flagrant foul. Jase Whiteman (Andalusia, Illinois) hit a 3-pointer for a 68-47 lead before the Foresters made two free throws. Jason Huber (Carpentersville, Illinois) made two free throws but the Foresters went on a big run to pull within eight at the 7-minute mark.
“We got a little careless with the ball in the second half and that allowed LFC to cut into the lead but we played well down the stretch,” said Skrivseth. “Kyle hit some big shots for us. Cam and Zay continued their outstanding play after dealing with some early foul trouble.”
Brown made a free throw but LFC scored to cut the lead to 72-65. Taylor drained a 3-pointer and LFC scored at the rim. Brown got to 20 points with a layup but the Scots turned it over twice in a row. Lake Forest converted a 4-point play with 3:17 to play as they pulled within six. Brown converted a 3-point play and Taylor hit a 3-pointer after Lake Forest scored on a putback. Thomas knocked down a corner 3-pointer with 58 seconds left for an 86-76 lead. The Foresters scored and Huber hit two free throws with 46 seconds left. Lake Forest scored and called timeout before Brown threw down a dunk. After a miss by LFC, Taylor knocked down a pair of free throws to get to 20 points on the night. Lake Forest scored again and Huber made free throws with seven seconds left for a 94-83 lead.
Brown led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds for another double-double. Taylor scored a season-high 20 points while Thomas added 14. Taylor also had seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Maring also grabbed seven boards and Brown blocked two shots.
MONMOUTH MOMENTS: The Scots last won 19 games in consecutive seasons in 1988-89/1989-90 and this marks the first time the Scots have ever won 14 or more conference games in consecutive seasons … Taylor moved past Declan Flynn (2021-25) for the all-time record in games played at 101 … Taylor moved past Don Campbell into 21st on the career scoring list with 1037 points … He also moved into a tie for fifth with Robert Richmond on the career 3-pointers made list with 153 and sixth on the attempts list with 431 … Taylor jumped over two players and is tied with Michael DeDecker (2012-13) for sixth on the single-season assists list … Brown has scored in double digits in every game he has played this season and now holds the school record by scoring in double digits in 34 straight games dating back to last season … His 23 straight double digit games this season ties the Monmouth record … Thomas has scored at least 10 points in 18 straight games and he has 22 double digit games this season … With 66 wins the senior class has the most wins by any senior class since 1993 and tied with the class of 1983 for the fifth most in a 4-year span in Scots history … Monmouth swept the season series but Lake Forest leads the all-time series 56-42 … Last year the Scots won both regular season games but LFC won in the MWC Tournament … The Scots are 16-14 against Lake Forest under coach Skrivseth with a 7-8 mark at home … The regular season finishes Saturday with a 1 p.m. tip at Illinois College … Monmouth clinches a share of the regular season title with a win and they clinch the #1 seed and hosting privileges with a win and a Grinnell loss to Cornell … If both teams win, the conference will conduct a coin flip on Saturday night to determine the #1 seed and host.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
