LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Carthage women's basketball team won its second-straight contest tonight in Illinois, taking down the Lake Forest Foresters 70-62. Guards Ayanna Ester and Margueret Spear led all scorers by putting in 18 and 17 points, respectively. 



 

• Final score: Carthage 70, Lake Forest 62. 
• Location: Lake Forest College Sports & Recreation Center - Lake Forest, Ill. 
• Records: Carthage 2-3, Lake Forest 1-3. 

 
 

• The Foresters got out to an early 8-3 lead before Ayanna Ester scored five quick points for Carthage, cutting the margin to two points. 
• Marianna Morrissey converted on a layup to give Carthage its first lead of the game at 12-10. Ester scored another five points via a layup and a three to give herself ten points in the quarter and the Firebirds a 15-12 lead. 
• Lake Forest hit a three to retake the lead going into the second quarter of play. Lake Forest won the high-scoring quarter 21-20. Ayanna Ester scored 13 points in the opening quarter, leading all scorers. 
• Carthage went on a 9-0 run early in the second quarter to seize control of the lead, holding on to a 31-23 advantage. 
• The Foresters quickly responded with a 9-0 run of their own, retaking the lead at 32-31. 
• Four conversions from Margueret Spear from the charity stripe and layups from Orozco and Ester brought Carthage back in front. The Firebirds led 39-34 going into the half. 
• Neither team could miss coming out of the locker room, as there were five made baskets and seven made free throws in the first four minutes of the quarter. Carthage still clung to a five-point lead. 
• Ester and Morrissey each hit key shots to give the Firebirds their largest lead of the night - a nine-point advantage at 54-45. The nine-point margin didn't budge, and Carthage led 59-50 going into the fourth and final quarter. 
• Lauren Knight set the tone early in the final ten minutes of play, drilling a three to give Carthage its biggest lead of the night at 62-50. Bridget Barrett followed suit, scoring five points to expand the Firebird advantage to 67-53. 
• Although Lake Forest was able to trim the lead to eight, Carthage held on to take the game by a score of 70-62. Carthage's 70 points set a new season-high. 

 

• Junior forward Bridget Barrett continues to shine defensively. She recorded four steals for the second-consecutive game while also hauling in nine rebounds. As if that wasn't enough, Barrett also scored a season-best ten points. 
• Junior guard Margueret Spear scored a career-high 17 points in the win, hitting three threes. 
• Ayanna Ester, a Senior guard, torched the Foresters for 18 points after scoring 15 against Lawrence last week. Ester made four threes and scored 13 points in the first quarter alone. 
• Junior guard Lauren Knight played a well-rounded game, scoring eight points, hauling in seven rebounds, recording two steals, and dishing out five assists. 
• The Firebirds turned over Lake Forest 18 times, recording 12 steals in the process. The Carthage defense helped hold Lake Forest to 34.5% shooting from the field and 19% shooting from beyond the arc. 

 

• The women's basketball team will enjoy its Thanksgiving break before returning to action this Sunday, November 27 in a road matchup against UChicago. The game will tip at 1 p.m.