GRINNELL, Iowa – It was as exciting as a conference opener could be, a nail-biter to the end.
 
But the end saw Lake Forest College's women's basketball team slip by Grinnell College 77-76 in overtime Saturday at Darby Gymnasium.
 
Erin Lillis '24 went wild for Grinnell (2-3, 0-1 Midwest Conference with a game-high 31 points with the aid of five 3-pointers on seven tries. Both the point and 3-point totals are season-bests for a Grinnell player this season.
 
As a team, Grinnell netted season-bests of 10 3-pointers and 16 made free throws. Nicole Ware '25 was also in double-digit scoring for Grinnell with 12 points, while Kate Tomczik '22 and Sara Booher '25 each had seven boards.
 
Ware and Lillis had four assists and three steals each. Booher added three blocks and Sofia Ahooja '22 contributed three steals. Ahooja also had three assists, giving her 151 for her career which ranks 17^th in Pioneer history.
 
Grinnell led 17-14 after one period and stretched the cushion to 33-27 by halftime.
 
The third period saw Grinnell go up by as many as 12. Grinnell built an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter when a layup by Lillis made it 64-53 at the 6:25 mark.
 
But Lake Forest (2-2, 1-0 MWC) raced back, closing the frame with a 14-3 run to tie the score at 67-all and force overtime.
  
Lillis opened the extra period with a 3-pointer and Grinnell was still in command by one with 3:16 left, but Lake Forest scored five unanswered points to go up by four.
 
A layup by Ware cut Grinnell's gap in half. After a miss by Lake Forest, Grinnell tried for a last shot but was fouled. The Pioneers managed one of two free throws to preserve the Foresters' win.

Grinnell steps out of league play Tuesday with a contest at Buena Vista University.