Senior guard Eric Walsh scored a team-high 14 points for Grinnell, on 5 of 11 shooting. Walsh also dished out three assists and made three steals. Senior guard Trey Raney netted 13 points on 4 of 7 shooting, while senior forward Cole Robertson added 12 points, three rebounds and two steals.
First-year guard Mike Schmidt chipped in with 10 points and three rebounds, while junior guard Toby Carlson contributed nine points, three assists and three rebounds.
Grinnell led 63-61 at the half behind 10 first-half three-pointers, in a game that saw 11 ties and 15 lead changes. Grinnell and Lake Forest were tied 78-78 with 12:29 remaining in the game, before the Foresters claimed a 93-87 lead with 6:15 to go. The Pioneers pulled within 101-99 with 1:03 left in the contest, but a layup by Lake Forest's Brad Rathe and two free throws by Beckford sealed the win.
Grinnell shot 43.5 percent for the game, including 16 of 53 from three point territory. Lake Forest shot 82 percent for the game and only turned the ball over 23 times against Grinnell's full-court pressure defense. Lake Forest's Brad Wehner set a new school-record for assists with 18.