The Forester men's basketball team trimmed a 13-point second-half deficit to three but got no closer at Loras College Friday night, ultimately falling 96-84 at the Loras Holiday Classic.

Lake Forest trailed 49-40 at halftime and 57-44 less than four minutes into the second half. A three-pointer from Forester sophomore forward Noah Deitch started the comeback bid and he connected again from long range to make it a six-point game with 12:20 to play. After the Duhawks increased their lead to 12, the visitors continued to chip away and a pair of free throws by junior guard Alex Knight made the score 76-73 with 5:52 on the clock.

The home team, however, shot 4-for-4 from three-point range in the final four-and-a-half minutes to pull away and secure the victory.

Knight led all players in the game with 23 points and added seven rebounds and a team-high five assists on the night. 

Four other Foresters scored in double figures, including junior forward Michael Michaud, who turned in his fourth consecutive double-double with 16 points and a team-high 13 rebounds, Deitch and sophomore wing Luke Arrington combined to make 9 of 18 attempts from beyond the arc and finished with 15 and 17 points, respectively. Fellow sophomore wing Alex Forowycz chipped in with 11.

Both teams shot nearly 50 percent from the field. The Duhawks had a 40-35 edge in the boards and committed just six turnovers to the Foresters' 13.

Lake Forest is now 3-8 and Loras 9-1 on the season.

The Foresters will conclude play at the Holiday Classic against Simpson College Saturday afternoon at 2:00.