ESCANABA, MI – The Bay College Women's Basketball Team (7-11) overcame a list of obstacles to snap a long losing streak on Saturday afternoon. Some hot shooting early led the Norse to a 67-50 win over the South Suburban College Bulldogs (4-12).
To say things haven't gone has planned for the Norse as of late would be an understatement. The women's program at Bay has had some bad luck with scheduling as of late, losing multiple games due to various teams and COVID protocols. Their schedule for this weekend changed multiple times in the days leading up the matchup, as the schedule was originally to include a classic style tournament featuring four women's teams. That changed drastically at the beginning of the week, with two of the women's teams dropping out unexpectedly. Up until Friday evening, the women thought they were playing two games this weekend, only to find out the chance to host a tournament would be reduced to just an afternoon game.
That wasn't even the biggest news to hit the Norse going into this weekend. On Thursday afternoon it was revealed that COVID protocols within Norse Athletics put Norse Head Coach Matt Gregory on quarantine through the weekend. That ended up leaving Assistant Coaches Paige Welch and Haley Trudell with the task of taking the team into today's matchup.
Welch was given the role of Acting Head Coach for the day and seemed to relish the opportunity. "It was super exciting to be able to step up and kind of take lead. The girls, coaches, and staff all showed a lot of confidence in me which is helpful to have support all around. I never thought my first official game as a head coach would be at the college level but it was a good experience and turned out really well! This group of girls make it easy for me to feel comfortable and jump in whenever needed. I couldn't have done it without Haley [Trudell], she was great today and we worked well together in a new situation."
The Norse came out of the chute hot, stepping up to a challenge laid down by South Suburban after they came out in a 2-3 zone, daring Bay to beat them from deep. Andie Arsenault (FR, Hermansville, MI) stepped up to that challenge in the first possession, burying a shot from behind the three-point arc triggering an 11-4 run to start. Bay got a pair of three's from Kennedy Englund (SO, Rock, MI) and Madison Olsen (SO, St. Ignace, MI) in the quarter, and held a 19-12 lead in after one.
The second quarter started with more fireworks as not only did Bay stay hot from deep, they had the Bulldog offense off balance. South Suburban went five minutes before scoring in the quarter, allowing Bay to build a 29-14 lead. Englund knocked down two more from beyond the arc in the quarter and Bree Arsenault (SO, Hermansville, MI) nailed another.
The Norse shot 52% from the floor in the first half and were eight of 17 from three (47.1%). South Suburban only hit on 33.3% of their shots, and only one of eight from three-point land. That led to a 36-22 Norse lead at halftime.
The third quarter mimicked the second scoring-wise. The Bulldogs came out ice cold, taking over half the period to hit their first field goal. The Norse led 49-23 at one point, before South Suburban made a bit of a run. The quarter ended with a 51-35 score.
The Bulldogs would not be able to close the gap after that. Bay ended up cruising to a 17-point victory.
South Suburban never really got it going offensively. They ended the game shooting 34.4% from the floor and three of 13 from three. Bay continued a similar pace on offense, ending the game hitting 51.0% from the field and 45.8% from three. The hot shooting day allowed the Norse to overcome 15 turnovers.
"I thought they played really well as a team which was a huge contribution to our success.," said Welch. Everyone played unselfish, made good choices, and executed the things that we've been focusing on. I'm really satisfied with the way we played as a whole, all of the little things are coming together and it makes a huge difference for us."
The win snaps a six-game skid for Bay. Partly because of previously mentioned cancellations it was the first win for the Norse in exactly a month.
All ten players scored for Bay in the contest. Englund and Andie Arsenault led the charge with 13 points apiece. Bree Arsenault grabbed eight rebounds, while Andie Arsenault pulled in seven. Cheveney Koski (SO, Rock, MI) ended her day with nine points and six rebounds.
Johnique Smith (FR, Chicago, IL) led the Bulldogs with 13 points and six rebounds.
The Norse will take the court next on January 29 when they take a trip to Finlandia University. That game tips at 1 pm.