Women’s Basketball Claims Forester Tip-Off Tournament Championship with 66-51 Win Over Lake Forest
BOX SCORE
Lake Forest, Ill., November 19, 2011 - Washington University in St. Louis women’s basketball head coach Nancy Fahey picked up her 599th career win as the Bears earned a 66-51 win over Lake Forest College in the championship game of the Forester Tip-Off Tournament Saturday afternoon at the Lake Forest College Sports & Recreation Center in Lake Forest, Ill.
Senior Claire Schaeperkoetter scored a career-high 18 points, including 4-of-9 from three-point range to lead the Washington U. women to the 15-point win. Schaeperkoetter and fellow senior Dani Hoover were both named to the All-Tournament team for the Bears.
The teams played back-and-forth to open the game, with Lake Forest taking as much as a four-point lead in the first six minutes. The Bears tied the score at 18-18 with 10:34 remaining after a pair of free throws by sophomore Jordan Rettig. A layup by senior Brianne Monahan gave Washington U. the lead for good a little more than a minute later.
The Bears extended their lead to seven at 29-22 on a three-pointer by Schaeperkoetter with 4:12 left in the first half. Lake Forest cut the lead to two, but a layup by Schaeperkoetter and two free throws by Rettig gave Washington U. a 35-29 halftime lead.
In the second half, Lake Forest got to within 39-37 with 14:55 left, but the Bears went on a 9-0 run over the next four minutes, including a pair of three-pointers by Schaeperkoetter, to build a 48-37 lead. The Foresters cut the deficit to six, but Washington U. pulled away for the 15-point win.
Washington U. shot 42.3 percent from the field and 16-of-23 from the free-throw line. Lake Forest shot 33.3 percent from the field, and was a perfect 6-of-6 on free-throw opportunities. The Foresters finished with a 39-34 rebounding advantage.
In addition to her 18 points, Schaeperkoetter added five rebounds for Washington U. Monahan scored in double-figures for the third straight game, finishing with 10 points, while Rettig added nine. Hoover totaled eight points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
The Bears are now 3-0 on the season and will play their home opener against Hendrix College in the Tip-Off Classic at 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 26. Fahey, who is now 599-106 (.850), will be looking for her 600th win in her 26th season on the Danforth Campus when the Bears return to action.