LA CROSSE, WI – The Bay College Norse Women's Basketball Team (2-1) would be handed their first loss of the season on Saturday afternoon as they were overwhelmed on the road. The Western Tech Cavaliers ran away with a 74-45 victory.
A poor shooting game coupled with a turnover-filled afternoon spelled disaster for the Norse. They turned the ball over 29 times in the game, and shot 32.7% from the floor. That included a one for 11 performance from behind the three-point arc in the second half, and a 15.8% from deep for the game. The road team left points at the free throw line as well, converting on just ten of 21 attempts for the game. Bay also lost the rebounding battle by a wide margin, grabbing just 29 total rebounds. The Cavaliers dominated the glass, collecting 44 rebounds throughout the contest.
Western Tech ended the game shooting 44.1% from the field, though they did struggle a bit from deep, hitting just four of 17 from three-point. They got the job done from the charity stripe, knocking down 18 of 24 free throws. Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Norse was their pressure forced 27 Cavalier turnovers.
"We had some very patient offense in the first quarter that led to some scores and when they stepped up their pressure, we didn't handle it well," said Head Coach Rob Robinson. "The best thing about a game at this point in the season is that we can learn from it and step up in a tough situation later in the year."
Makenna Gabel (SO, Fountain City, WI) led all scorers with 18 points, while grabbing four rebounds. Lindsey Murphey (SO, Necedah, WI) added 13 points for Western Tech, while Caitlin Young (SO, Holmen, WI) scored ten. Rylee Gable (SO, Fountain City, WI) grabbed eight rebounds.
The Norse were paced by Kelsea Ackerman (SO, Munising, MI) who scored 14 points while hitting three of five from behind the three-point arc. Marissa Ackerman (SO, Munising, MI), Taylor Hunter (SO, Gladstone, MI), and Brooke Dalgord (SO, Garden, MI) added five points apiece.
The Norse return to play on Sunday, November 17. They will host Lake Superior State's JV team in a 1 pm tipoff. On Monday they welcome UW-Green Bay, Marinette to Escanaba. That game starts at 6 pm.