MUSKEGON, MI - The Bay College Norse Women's Basketball Team (8-17, 4-7 MCCAA) got off to a great start on Saturday as they tried to upset the Muskegon Community College Jayhawks (16-8, 7-4 MCCAA) in an MCCAA game. The Norse jumped to a 12-point lead, and had the lead at halftime, but things fell apart in the second half and Muskegon rolled to an 81-41 win.

 "It was good to see the girls come out with confidence, and not be nervous or afraid," Bay College Head Coach Matt Gregory said. "Good things happen when you're doing that. We just have to find ways to keep having that killer instinct for a little bit longer than just 20 minutes of basketball."

If you watched the first quarter, you never would have predicted the way the game would end up. The Norse took a 9-0 lead when they pounded the ball in to Tianna Taylor (SO, Gwinn, MI) for her second layup of the quarter.

After a Jayhawk free throw, Leah Allan (FR, Oconto, WI) knocked down a triple, and it was 12-1. And after one more free throw for Muskegon, Alaina Trudeau (SO, Gladstone, MI) banked a shot off the glass and in from the lane, and incredibly, Bay College was winning, 14-2.

The Jayhawks missed every one of the shots they took until they finally got one with 2:17 left in the quarter. Still, the Norse had a 16-4 lead. Calla Miler (SO, Fremont, MI) would knock down a three-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to bring the Jayhawks to within 16-7.

In the second quarter, the Norse had a chance to pull away, but committed five turnovers. Still, they maintained the lead. Trudeau hit a shot from behind the arc to put Bay ahead, 22-11. Stephanie Frappy (SO, Bonduel, WI) made her second three of the first half to help the cause, but then, severe foul trouble started to creep in for the Norse.

Taylor went to the bench with three fouls, and then Frappy and Alyssa Cretton (SO, Niagara, WI) both got two fouls. Then Kassidy Roll (FR, Hermansville, MI) had her second foul.

The Jayhawks took advantage as Karliegh Jeffries (SO, Whitehall, MI) scored three times in the paint and Emerson Goodin (FR, Newaygo, MI) scored four baskets, including an "and one" hoop. That brought Muskegon to within 31-26 at halftime.

The second half for the Norse was, simply put, a nightmare. They gave up the first 12 points of the second half, eight of them by Goodin, and the Norse had three more turnovers. All of a sudden, Muskegon led, 38-31.

Things kept getting worse for the Norse as they managed only one basket and one free throw in the entire third quarter, and Muskegon scored 27 points. That put Bay behind entering the fourth quarter, 53-34. And it didn't get any better in the fourth quarter as Miller drilled four three-pointers as part of a Jayhawk 28-point barrage,  "The term is 'waking a sleeping giant' and I think that's exactly what we did." Gregory said. "They definitely showed vengeance in that third quarter. They were more active and more vocal."

When it was finally over, the Norse were outscored, 55-10, in the second half, and lost a game by 40 points that they had controlled the entire first half. So, what did Gregory see change in his players from the first half to the second half?

"Energy," he said. "Talking. Communicating. Good things are happening, obviously, when some shots are falling and you're getting some really good defensive stops against a team. Having to be able to do that consistently is really, really tough."

"I feel like we just looked like they were gassed, like they put all of their energy into that first half. When you go down and have empty trips in a row, and they score five trips in a row, finding ways to get in the paint, and people in foul trouble didn't help either."

Muskegon improved to 16-8 overall, and 7-4 in the MCCAA standings, in a solid fourth place position. Goodin led the Jayhawks in scoring with 20 points, and Miller added 18 points.

The Norse, meanwhile, were led by Cretton's ten points. Taylor scored eight, while Trudeau and Allan both contributed seven points.

Bay College dropped to 8-17 overall, 4-7 in league play. They remain tied with Alpena for the fifth and final playoff spot after the Lumberjacks lost to Grand Rapids on Saturday, 72-39.

The Norse are on the road again Wednesday as they travel to Grayling to face the Kirtland Community College Firebirds, a team the Norse have already defeated once this season. They are 2-9 in conference play, and 2-15 overall.  Wednesday's game starts at 5:30.

Story courtesy of Jack Hall, RRN Sports.