The Lake Forest College women's basketball team began the 2026-27 season with a 69-66 loss at Concordia University Chicago Friday night.
The Foresters led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter and 31-29 at halftime. Thanks in part to 6-for-10 shooting from three-point range, the Cougars exploded for 28 points in the third quarter and were ahead 57-45 going into the fourth.
Lake Forest's aggressive defense in the final period was nearly enough to complete the comeback. The visitors trimmed the 12-point deficit to five in the first three minutes and the margin was back down to five again after a basket by
Taylnn Heard with 1:52 to play. She added a free throw with 59 seconds left and a steal and layup from
Amirah Muhammad 10 seconds later made it a 2-point game. A free throw for the home team was answered by two from Forester transfer
Ahdiayh Chee, making the score 67-66 with 14 seconds on the clock. After two more Concordia Chicago free throws, a game-tying three-point field goal attempt at the buzzer was unsuccessful and the game was over.
Laylah Bly, Heard, and Muhammad led Lake Forest with 16, 13, and 12 points, respectively, in their collegiate debuts. Heard also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds while Bly was just one board shy of her own double-double. Chee added 10 points in the contest,
Careah Baitlon dished out five assists, and Muhammad led the Foresters in steals with three.
Lake Forest had a commanding 49-34 edge in rebounds, connected on 19 of 23 foul shots, and committed just six turnovers while forcing 10. Concordia Chicago's statistical advantage was in field goal percentage, shooting 41.7 percent while the Foresters were at just 27.6.
Friday's contest was the first of two this weekend for the Foresters, who will travel to Eureka College on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off.
