ESCANABA, MI – The Bay College Men's Basketball Team (3-2) never surrendered the lead as they went above the .500 mark for the first time this season. The Lake Superior State JV Lakers (0-2) took the loss in the Norse home opener by a final score of 96-84.
The Norse shot the ball well and slowly extended a lead in the first half. They connected on 18 of 39 attempts from the floor, while the Lakers only hit on 11 of 35. The Lakers settled for 21 shots from behind the three-point arc in the first half, converting only six, while Bay went seven of 16 from deep. Ryan Robinette (SO, Escanaba, MI) was a key factor in the first half success for the Norse. He hit on four of seven from behind the arc, scoring 14 points while grabbing five rebounds in that timeframe. Bay looked to be in control at intermission, holding on to a 44-30 lead.
The second half featured a much-improved offensive attach from the Lakers. The road team hit 47.1% of their shots after half, including ten of 22 three-point attempts. A 10-2 LSSU run would make the score 58-54 in favor of the Norse with just over 14 minutes to play. Bay's defense would step up, and the Lakers suffered through a nearly four-minute scoring drought from that point.
The Lakers made one more charge, closing to within five points with about nine minutes remaining. The Norse responded again, this time with an 11-0 run. The lead would never get below double-digits from that point forward as the Norse ended up with a 12-point victory at home.
Tristan Masuga (FR, Cedarville, MI) led Bay College with 16 points and nine rebounds. Robinette finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Xaviel Fields (FR, Detroit, MI) contributed 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while Cade Contreras (SO, Munising, MI) hit a pair of threes to help him get to 12 points in the game. Matt Wagner (FR, Marinette, WI) added 11 points.
LSSU's Stone Arnold ended the afternoon as the game's leading scorer, hitting five of six from three and ending with 31 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Cameran Decaire added 21 points, while Austin Purchase finished with a double-double, scoring 16 points and dealing out ten assits.
Bay will be on the road next weekend for a pair of games. On Friday they will challenge Milwaukee Area Technical College at 8 pm. They then go to Chicago to face Harper College on Saturday. That game will tip at 3 pm.