PETOSKY, MI – The Bay College Women's Basketball Team (7-15, 3-5 MCCAA) got out to an early lead and never looked back as they blew past the North Central Michigan College Timberwolves (3-16, 0-8 MCCAA) by a final score of 56-26.
The Norse frustrated the Timberwolves offense all evening long as NCMC would never reach double-digits scoring in any quarter. They scored just six in the first while the Norse came out of the gate hot. They fed Tianna Taylor (SO, Gwinn, MI) in the post and she took advantage, scoring ten points in the first quarter alone. Bay held a 17-6 lead after the first quarter.
The Timberwolves made a small run in the first part of the second quarter and cut the lead to single-digits. The Norse locked them down after that as the home team would not score for the last 4:30 of the half. Bay finished off the half on a 10-0 run and took a 31-12 lead into the locker room.
The Norse saw their lead continue to grow in the second half. They held a 45-20 lead after three quarters and held their largest lead of 31 points midway through the fourth. In the end Bay cruised to a 30-point victory, which matched their largest margin of victory of the year.
Bay held North Central Michigan to just 23.9% shooting from the floor. The Timberwolves did not convert any of their 13 three-point attempts. The Norse also forced 23 turnovers and outrebounded their host 42-29.
Taylor led all scorers with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Leah Allan (FR, Oconto, WI) ended up with a nice line as well, collecting 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Kassidy Roll (FR, Hermansville, MI) grabbed ten rebounds.
Mykaila Burgher (FR, Melbourne, FL) led the Timberwolves with ten points and nine rebounds.
The win keeps the Norse in the playoff hunt. Bay is currently one game behind Alpena Community College in the standings for the fifth and final postseason position. The Norse will host Grand Rapids Community College on Saturday at 1 pm. Grand Rapids is 11-7 overall with a 5-3 conference record. They lost on Wednesday against Mid Michigan College by a final of 87-65. The Raiders won the earlier matchup this year against Bay by a final score of 81-47.