ESCANABA, MI – The Norse Women's Basketball Team (1-1) opened their season by hosting a classic style tournament and splitting their first two games. On Friday they ran away with a victory over Harper College (1-1) by a final score of 55-34. On Saturday the Norse had a chance late, but fell to Gogebic Community College (2-0) by a final score of 56-52.
Bay started off in control of the Hawks in the opener. A 10-0 run to open the game made it appear as though the home team would dominate, but Harper turned the tables. They scored seven points in the final three-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter to close the gap.
Both teams continued to struggle with consistency offensively in the second quarter. The Norse shot 24.2% from the field in the first half, and missed the mark on all ten three-point opportunities, while the Hawks hit on just 17.2% of their shots, though they did connect on two of 13 attempts from behind the arc. Bay College held a 20-14 lead at the half.
The Norse were finally able to take control of the game in the third quarter. Their defense continued to pressure Harper, keeping them off the board for much of the period. Bay would allow just one basket in the third, a three-pointer, allowing them to open up a 30-17 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Hawks did find some footing offensively in the fourth quarter, having by far their best output of the contest, putting up 17 points. Unfortunately for them, Bay's offense turned up their efforts by a much better pace. The Norse hit on ten of 15 from the field and three of seven from three. The lead never got below double-digits allowing the Norse to notch a win in their first outing.
The hot fourth quarter bolstered the final box score for Bay as they shot 32.8% for the game and hit on five of 27 from deep. The Norse were just eight of 13 from the free throw line. Harper never really got it going enough to factor in late, hitting 15.9% from the field for the game and 15.4% from three. They would have a slight advantage rebounding, but turned the ball over 20 times in the loss.
The shorthanded Norse had three players in double-digit scoring totals, and had two players record a double-double. Alyssa Cretton (SO, Niagara, WI) led all scorers and had 17 points, ten rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Alaina Trudeau (SO, Gladstone, MI) finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Amariona Humphrey (FR, Milwaukee, WI) ended up with 12 points. Stephanie Frappy (SO, Bonuel, WI) picked up eight rebounds, six steals, and three assists, while Kassidy Roll (FR, Hermansville, MI) grabbed seven rebounds.
Harper was led by Megan Kleve who had 15 points and eight rebounds. Isabella Gebala ended up with 14 points and Tess Ogara amassed 15 rebounds.
On Saturday the Norse found themselves playing from behind in a close matchup. Although the Samsons grabbed the lead early, they were not able to pull away for much of the first half. With just over five minuts left in the second quarter, Cretton scored under the basket, pulling Bay to within four. A Gogebic timeout would trigger a run for the visiting team who scored nine unanswered points in the next few minuts to build what would be their largest lead of the game at 31-18. Bay used a timeout of their own to regain their composer and close the half out strong. Roll sinking a layup, Humphrey draining a three, and Cretton finishing the half with a jump shot, combined with some defensive stops cut the lead to six at intermission.
A quick three by Humphrey to open the second half put the Norse to within three and the game would remain tight from there on out. With just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Frappy split a pair of free throws that tied the game at 37 completely erasing the 13-point deficit from earlier. Gogebic responded, however, and held a two-point lead going into the final frame.
The Samsons led by as many as six in the fourth, but Bay was persistent and closed the gap in the final minutes. Down four with just under 90 seconds left on the clock, the Norse got a big shot in the arm when Alaina Trudeau sank a three-pointer to make the score 51-50. After a defensive stop the Norse had a chance to take the lead for the first time in the game, but a good look from behind the arc rattled out. With just under a minute to play, Jasmine Redhouse (FR, Flagstaff, AZ) knocked down a three to put the lead back to two possessions for Gogebic. The Norse had chances with the final seconds ticking off. Another missed look from three, followed by a Norse steal and fast break opportunity that went by the wayside sealed the fate for Bay. They were forced to foul to try and extend the game, but Redhouse answered making both attempts from the charity stripe. Humphrey would hit a jumper as the final buzzer rang, but it was too little, too late, as the Samsons took a 56-52 victory.
Gogebic had a decisive advantage in the game collecting 49 rebounds to Bay's 36. The teams shot identical percentages from the floor, but the Norse left points at the free throw line. The home team made just eight of 17 attempts from the stripe, while the Sampsons were seven of 11.
Alyssa Cretton was the leading scorer for Bay with 14 points. Humphrey and Roll both grabbed seven rebounds.
Kylee Hewitt (FR, Hurley, WI) led all scorers with 17 points while grabbing nine rebounds. Emily Nelson (FR, Iron River, MI) tallied a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
The Norse will host a second classic-style tournament next weekend. On Friday they will take on Mesabi Range Community and Technical College at 6 pm. On Saturday they will take on Madison College at 3 pm. The other team involved will be fellow MCCAA conference member North Central Michigan. They will play Madison College at 2 pm on Friday and Mesabi Range at 11 am on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Ava Mottin - Bay College Sports Information Department