Megan Huey ‘12 recorded her fourth consecutive double-double, Michelle Briggs ‘13 her third and Rebecca DeGroot ‘14 scored a game-high 19 points.
But that was not enough as the Grinnell College women’s basketball team lost a 62-58 nail-biter at Lake Forest College Saturday afternoon.
The loss snapped the Pioneers’ three-game winning streak as they fell to 8-4 in the Midwest Conference and 9-7 overall.
DeGroot drained five 3-pointers in the game and also had two steals. Huey and Briggs continued their recent dominance, as Huey grabbed 16 rebounds to go along with 11 points and three steals and Briggs had 16 boards, 14 points and six blocked shots.
Ashley Jeannin ‘12 added five assists for Grinnell.
Lake Forest, 7-5 in the MWC and 8-8 overall, was paced by Danielle Canulli’s 15 points.
The hosts used a fast start to grab a 12-point lead at 19-7 midway through the first half. But the Pioneers gradually chipped away and finally took a lead when DeGroot’s trey made it 24-23 at the 5:36 mark.
That bucket was the start of a 14-3 run by the Pioneers. DeGroot had another 3-pointer during the spurt, while Briggs and Huey had a basket and two free throws apiece to make it 35-26 with 1:38 left.
However, the hosts then caught fired and closed within 36-34 by halftime.
Grinnell pulled away a bit at the start of the second half, as Huey and Briggs both made baskets and Tolu Alabi ‘13 converted a traditional three-point play to make it 43-34 in favor of the visitors with 17:48 remaining.
But again Lake Forest rallied, and it was back-and-forth down the stretch. The Pioneers got their final lead of the game at the 3:01 mark on a jumper by DeGroot that made it 53-52.
Lake Forest answered with a five-point run to go ahead 57-53.
Cristal Coleman ‘15 drained a 3-pointer with 1:02 left to bring Grinnell within a point, but Lake Forest stretched that lead to two with a free throw and made it a four-point game on a jumper by Canulli with :19 left.
DeGroot cut the gap to 60-58 with a jumper at the :06 mark, but Lake Forest sealed the win with a pair of free throws in the final second.
The Pioneers return to Darby Gymnasium Tuesday when Knox College visits for a MWC test. Game time is 5 p.m.
