The Forester women's basketball team cut a 14-point second half deficit to one but were.unable to finish off the comeback in a 70-66 loss at Saint Mary's College in Indiana on Saturday.

Lake Forest trailed 50-36 midway through the third quarter before scoring 12 of the next 14 points to trim the margin to four. The Belles extended their lead back to nine points at 57-48 going into the fourth but the visitors once again seized momentum.

A layup by senior forward Emmy Punches made it a three-point game with 6:38 to play and a pair of free throws from senior guard Rebecca Christodoulou pulled the Foresters to within a point. After five points in a row for the home team, a three-pointer and a layup by Forester freshman guard Ariana Ferreira-Torralba returned the margin to one with two minutes remaining. Saint Mary's was 4-for-6 from the foul line the rest of the way to help secure the victory.

Christodoulou finished with a team-high 27 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and led all players in the contest with six assists and three steals.

Punches and Ferreira-Torralba added 12 and 10 points, respectively, and senior center Peyton Noles reached double figures in rebounds for the first time in her career with 12.

Lake Forest out-rebounded the Belles 49-47 and forced 25 turnovers while committing just 16. Saint Mary's had the advantage at the offensive end, shooting 43 percent from the field while the Foresters were at just 30 percent.

Lake Forest will play its first home game of the season Tuesday evening at 5:30 against Milwaukee School of Engineering.