Free throws paid dividends Wednesday night in  Monmouth's 81-77 win at Lake Forest as the Scots climbed back to .500 in the Midwest Conference.

Shayne Smith and Josie Morgan combined to knock down three free throws in the final five seconds to give the Scots just enough cushion for the road win.
 
Trailing 77-76 with 1:02 to play, Smith's driving layup gave the Scots the lead for good after a back-and-forth 39 minutes. Monmouth finished the game hitting 27 of their 34 free throw attempts to stay in position for the win down the stretch.
 
Down seven early in the fourth quarter, Monmouth chipped away, cutting the margin to two on a pair of Josie Morgan free throws with 2:40 to play. Kaitlyn Osmulski's layup on the next possession knotted it at 73-all with 2:10 to play, but the teams continued to trade the lead, 13 times in all, before Smith's bucket in the final minute. Becca Gallis' 27 points led all scorers as five Scots pumped in double figures.

The Scots travel to California next Tuesday and Wednesday for matchups against UC-Santa Cruz on Tuesday and No. 15 Transylvania on Wednesday. Both games will be played at the Santa Cruz campus with tip offs at 9 p.m. Central time.