Green Knights Snatch Victory From Foresters

From Sports Information Director, February 7, 2009 | Women's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - A late rally in the game's final wild 30 seconds pushed St. Norbert College to a 62-59 win over archrival Lake Forest College in a Midwest Conference game at the Lake Forest Sports Center.

The Green Knights extended their winning streak to 10 games with the win, improving to 16-4 overall and 12-1 in the MWC. Lake Forest dropped to 10-10, 7-6.

Lake Forest took a 59-58 lead with 32 seconds left on a pair of Lisa Nassin free throws. The Foresters' Emily Weber stole the ball from St. Norbert's Morgan Strasser with 21 seconds left, but Strasser stole the ball right back from her two seconds later. Following a St. Norbert timeout, Rachel Hermus hit a jumper off a Stefanie Bunday assist with 16 seconds to go for a 60-59 lead.

Bunday then stole the ball from Lake Forest but made just one of two free throws with 11 seconds left. The Foresters' Ashley Cretacci missed a layup with three seconds left, and Bunday again made one of two free throws with two seconds left. Lake Forest would not get a final shot.

St. Norbert went the first 9 minutes 44 seconds of the game without a field goal, but took a 9-8 on its first basket of the game by Hermus. Lake Forest led by as many as seven points late in the first half twice, but settled on a 25-20 halftime lead.

The Foresters held a lead of as much as eight points before St. Norbert took a 37-36 lead with 10:13 to go on a Victoria Le Fevre layup. Neither team would lead by more than three points until Krista Pelky's 3-pointer with 3:38 left put St. Norbert ahead 55-49.

St. Norbert still held a 58-52 lead with 2:17 to go, but Nassin made a pair of free throws and Kate Grunauer buried a 3-pointer with 1:06 left to set up the game's tense final minute.

Bunday led St. Norbert with 10 points, six assists and four turnovers. Hermus had nine points, while Strasser, Pelky and Cortney Biese all had eight points apiece. St. Norbert shot 35.2 percent from the floor, making 19 of 54 field goals. The Green Knights were 22-for-31 at the line and outrebounded the Foresters 42-30.

Lake Forest shot 40 percent from the floor, making 20 of 50 shots. Nassin led the Foresters with 21 points and nine rebounds.