ROCHESTER, MN – After holding a lead for most of the first half, The Bay College Norse Men's Basketball Team (6-11) fell late to the Rochester Community and Technical College Yellowjackets (5-5) by a final score of 73-71.

The Norse grabbed the lead early as Matt Wagner (SO, Marinette, WI) opened the scoring with a shot at the rim.  Chris Dobessi (SO, Detroit, MI) nailed a three pointer, and Wagner hit a two-point jumper, putting the Norse up 14-9.

The Yellowjackets rallied and went on a 7-0 run.  Devyn Frye (SO, New Hope, MN) finished a basket at the rim which gave RCTC their first lead of the game midway through the first half. 

The two teams traded three-point baskets and the home team claimed the lead, only to be answered by a Bay College run.  Ashton Janke (FR, Dollar Bay, MI) hit from behind the arc, and Wagner finished at the rim on two consecutive possessions, and the Norse held a 28-26 lead in the waning seconds of the first half. 

Qunicy Burland (FR, Castle Rock, CO) ended the scoring drought for the Yellowjackets, hitting a three-pointer just before the time ran out in the first half.  Rochester took a 29-28 lead at intermission.

The Norse came out hot in the second half.  Joe Gibbs (SO, Gladstone, MI) finished and was fouled at the rim on the first possession.  He hit his free throw to compete the three-point play. 

Bay held the lead during the early portion of the second half.  Rochester finally regrouped and a steal and a basket in transition tied the game at 44 with 13:30 remaining.  An 8-0 stretch in favor of the Yellowjackets forced the Norse to play from behind as the clock ticked under ten minutes.

Bay showed resiliency, cutting into the lead.  A steal and a pass to a wide-open Wagner in transition pulled the Norse to within three with six minutes remaining.  Gibbs finished hard at the rim moments later to make it a tie game at 57.

Cal Raymond (FR, Gibraltar, MI) buried a three, giving the Norse back the lead with 4:32 remaining.  Quentin Williams (SO, Zion, IL) hit a jumper from the free throw line to tie it on the next possession, but Gibbs hit a 15-footer of his own to make the score 62-60 in favor of the Norse. 

After a Stephen Olander (FR, Rochester, MN) three, the Norse reclaimed the lead on a Jibril Ndiaye (FR, Mount Flora, FL) rebound and put back.  Bay College led 64-63 with 3:05 remaining in the game.

The Norse hit a cold spell in the worst possible time.  They went over two minutes without tallying a point, while the Yellowjackets built a 70-64 lead. 

Bay College finally cut into that lead with two free throws with 48.5 seconds remaining.  After a stop, Marcus Johnson (FR, Iron Mountain, MI) drove to the basket and laid it in to make it 72-68.  Moments later Wagner stole a long pass down court and found Dobessi under the basket, who was fouled as he finished his shot.  He converted his free throw, capping off a stretch where the Norse scored seven points in just over 30 seconds, making the score 72-71 with 14.3 remaining. 

Confusion and a controversial call ruled the next few seconds.  After a timeout, the Yellowjackets struggled to get the ball inbounds.  The pass was tapped by Wagner and was loose on the floor.  At one point it appeared as though play had stopped, before players realized that no call was being made and continued to attempt to control it.  When a whistle was finally blown, a timeout was awarded to Rochester, even though it appeared as though no one had possession of the ball. 

After the controversial timeout, the Yellowjackets were able to inbound the ball and were immediately fouled.  Keivonte Watts (SO, Utica, MS) only converted one of his two free throws, but the last second buzzer beating attempt by the Norse fell short, and Rochester escaped with a win on their homecourt.

Frye led the Yellowjackets with 14 points.  Watts finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists, while Burland added ten points and five rebounds.

Dobessi and Wagner each scored 18 points and dealt out four assists.  Gibbs was also credited with 18 points, while Ndiaye grabbed ten rebounds.

The Norse return to action on Saturday, March 13.  They host Bryant and Stratton (WI) at 3 pm.