CICERO, IL – The Norse Women's Basketball Team (1-5) could not pull off the upset on Saturday afternoon as they fell to the undefeated and #15 ranked Morton College (5-0) by a final score of 86-55.

The Norse were forced to play from behind in the opening minutes, but fought back.  Holly Wardynski (SO, Ontonagon, MI) hit a pair of three-pointers that pulled Bay to within four.  The Panthers answered, and the game turned into an offensive shootout over the next few minutes.

Lauryn Bloniarz (SO, Perronville, MI) got hot to end the first, pouring six points in on three consecutive possessions.  The run tied the game at 19 as the first quarter ended.

Bay finally took the lead in the second quarter.  Sandra Boulton (FR, Carney, MI) drove into the lane, but was met by a defender.  She was able to keep her footing, spin, and bank home a shot to put the Norse up 21-19. 

The slugfest continued over the next few minutes, but Morton had answers for every Bay advance.  Brooke Mannor (SO, Gwinn, MI) hit a shot from behind the arc with 7:22 left in the half to give Bay a 24-23 lead.  Chevy Koski (FR, Rock, MI) contributed a basket on the next possession to regain the lead, and Wardynski knocked down another three with 5:29 remaining in the half, putting the Norse up 29-28.

The Norse have had problems with second quarter scoring droughts so far this season, and this match up was no exception.  Morton went on an 18-0 run to end the half, knocking Bay out of contention for the afternoon.  The Panthers took a 46-29 lead into the locker room at half.

Bay started the third with five quick points, but Morton would not slow down.  The Norse managed to close the lead to as little as ten points late in the third quarter, but the Panthers scored five quick points to answer, and took over from there.  Morton extended their lead throughout the fourth quarter, ending up with a 31-point victory.

"I thought the ladies played very tough today," said Head Coach Matt Gregory.  "We gave ourselves many opportunities to be in the game and just couldn't cut the lead to slow down their momentum.  We definitely improved on the offensive end from last night against Triton and that was good to see.  I am very proud of the effort these ladies give every game.  We just need to find ways to not dig ourselves too much of a hole and we will be right where we need to be."

Bloniarz ended her day with 17 points for the Norse.  Wardynski knocked down three from behind the arc on her way to 13 points.

Tadriana Heard (SO, Chicago, IL) had a big game, pouring in 31 points, and knocked down seven three-pointers.  Dylan Van Fleet (FR, Des Plaines, IL) added 19 points, while Kayla Braggs was able to score 15 points.  Francesca Metz ended her game with ten points.

Bay will play their third game in three days, and fourth in five days on Sunday afternoon.  They will challenge South Suburban College at 1 pm.