The Lake Forest women's basketball team had a strong first and fourth quarters Saturday against Cornell College, but an offensive dry spell in the middle two quarters led the Foresters to a 63-33 defeat.
 
Junior Careah Baitlon led the Foresters (2-12, 0-5 MWC) with eight points on 2-of-5 shooting, with both of her made field goals coming from behind the three-point line. Sophomore Ella Frank added five points and a steal, and junior Mia DeGrasse was an effective passer with a game-high four assists.
 
Nine different Foresters made a field goal in the defeat.
 
The Foresters shot 22.4 percent from the field for the game and made 5-of-24 three-pointers (20.8 percent).
 
Lake Forest used its outside three-point shooting in the first quarter to keep pace with Cornell. Of the Foresters' five made field goals in the opening quarter, four of them came from behind the three-point line.
 
DeGrasse hit a three-pointer to cut the Cornell lead to 10-6 in the first quarter, then Baitlon hit a three of her own on the next possession to trim the deficit further to just a point. After another Baitlon triple tied the game at 12, Anika Kinnear converted a layup and the foul following a steal from Ariana Rodriguez to give Lake Forest a three-point lead with under a minute remaining in the quarter.
 
In the second and third quarters, the Foresters were limited to just five total points, as the visitors shot 1-for-22 from the field in the two frames combined, allowing Cornell to pull away with the lead.
 
The Foresters will continue their Midwest Conference schedule in their next outing, as Lake Forest takes on Beloit College on Tuesday. Tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.