MARINETTE, WI – After trailing by as many as six in the fourth quarter, the Bay College Norse (12-10) would finish strong, grabbing a win on the road over the UW-Marinette Buccaneers (10-7) by a final score of 62-47.
The Norse looked to be in control in the early going, jumping out to a 14-4 lead in the first quarter. The Buccaneers came storming back, and their defensive pressure would keep them in the game. Twelve first half turnovers would haunt Bay College, and the situation would look even more dire when the team's leading scorer, Jordan Kraemer (FR, Norway, MI) would have to sit with foul trouble. Despite the troubling situation, the Norse would get eight first half points from Caitlin Hewitt (FR, Ishpeming, MI), and cling to a four-point lead at the half.
Just out of the break, it looked as though the Norse were going to find a rhythm. Kraemer would hit a three-point attempt on the first possession of the half, and the team would improve their ball security, reducing their turnover output. With Bay up by six, Kraemer would pick up her fourth foul of the game with 7:44 remaining in the quarter, and the offense would struggle from there. Kraemer would be responsible for all four of the Norse points in the third, as the rest of the team would go 0-13 from the field in the quarter. UW-Marinette would grab a slim two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Buccaneers used their momentum early on in the fourth. Two defensive stops, coupled with strong possession would put them up 41-35 with 8:26 left in the game. Justice Kinnunen (FR, Baraga, MI) would put an end to the offensive futility for the Norse by knocking down a big shot from behind the three-point arc to cut the lead in half. Kramer would then check into the game and immediately make her presence felt by getting fouled on a strong drive to the rim. She would go one of two from the free throw line. The next two possessions from the Buccaneers were well-crafted, and two UW-Marinette sandwiched a pair of Teidra Fusion (FR, Norway, MI) free throws to give the home team a four-point advantage with 6:45 remaining.
On the very next possession Kinnunen would hit another three-point attempt that would trigger a big run for the visiting Norse. After a defensive stop, Kraemer would hit a layup to give Bay College the lead back for good. The Norse would force seven Buccaneer turnovers down the stretch, and only give up two more points as they would end the game on a 21-2 run.
Kraemer would end up leading all scorers with 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. After providing the big spark that got the offense going, Kinnunen would end the night with 11 points and five steals. Hewitt would tally 11 points and four assists after her strong first half, while Fusion would score ten points and collect eight rebounds. Paige Welch (FR, Bark River, MI) made it five total Bay College players to finish the game in double-digits scoring-wise. She would score ten points, and grab six rebounds to go with her five assists and two steals.
The Norse will return home on Friday to host Silver Lake College. That game is scheduled to tip at 6 pm.