ESCANABA, MI – The Bay College Women's Basketball Team (5-12, 1-2 MCCAA) ran into one of the top defensive teams in the country on Saturday afternoon and were unable to solve the puzzle as they fell to the Muskegon Community College Jayhawks (11-5, 2-1 MCCAA) by a final score of 56-28.
The Jayhawks are currently tied for 16 in NJCAA Division 2 for points allowed, giving up just 53.4 points per game at this point in the season. They flexed their defensive muscle on Saturday, allowing the Norse to score just six points in each of the first and second quarters.
Bay did their part early on however, as Muskegon was frustrated on offense in the opening period. The road team connected on just two out of 11 shots in the opening frame and held a slim 9-6 lead after the first ten minutes of play.
The Jayhawks got a three-pointer early in the second and a jumper to extend their lead to eight. Midway through the period the home team made a run. Alyssa Cretton (SO, Niagara, WI) was fouled on a jump shot and made the ensuing free throw, and Tianna Taylor (SO, Gwinn, MI) knocked down a pair from the charity stripe in a stretch that cut the Jayhawk lead to three.
The Norse ended up with just one more free throw in the second half of that quarter, and Muskegon went on a 10-1 run to take a 24-12 lead into halftime.
Bay once again stepped up on defense in the third quarter, but was not able to get the offense going. Muskegon ended up outscoring their host 9-6 in the third, but their offense ignited in the fourth. The Jayhawks made nine of 18 in the final period, including three from behind the arc. After scoring just 33 points in the first three quarters, they would put up 23 in the final ten minutes, turning the game into a blowout. The Jayhawks would double-up the Norse with a 28-point victory.
Bay missed on all ten of their three-point shots and shot just 20.5% from the floor as the Muskegon defense did not allow them to get into rhythm. The Norse also turned the ball over 22 times and were outrebounded 44-36. The Jayhawks had 17 offensive rebounds.
Cretton ended up with 13 points in the game. Taylor added seven point and 13 rebounds. Only four players scored for Bay.
The reigning MCCAA Northern Conference Player of the Week Calla Miller (SO, Fremont, MI) paced the Jayhawks with 12 points and six rebounds. Ally Seiber (SO, Twin Lake, MI) scored ten points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Karleigh Jeffries (SO, Whitehall, MI) also scored ten points while grabbing five rebounds.
The Norse will look to bounce back on Wednesday evening as they head to Alpena Community College. The Lumberjacks are 3-7 on the year and dropped Saturday's contest at Grand Rapids Community College 72-48. The loss ties them in conference standings with the Norse at 1-2. The game in Alpena is schedule for a 5:30 tip off.