ALPENA, MI – A shorthanded number 16 ranked Bay College Men's Basketball Team (23-2, 10-0 MCCAA) had to survive a furious comeback attempt by the Alpena Community College Lumberjacks (8-12, 6-4 MCCAA) and ended up with a 66-57 victory to remain undefeated in MCCAA Northern Conference play.
The two teams traded the lead multiple times in the opening minutes. Genesis Kemp (SO, Grand Rapids, MI) hit a three-pointer with just over 11 minutes left in the first half to put Bay up 12-11. The Norse defense held Alpena to just eight points the rest of the half, allowing them to open up a lead going into halftime. Kemp, Baril Mawo (SO, Manchester, NH) and Ryan Sweeney (FR, Green Bay, WI) each scored eight points in the first half, and the Norse held a 33-19 lead at intermission.
The Norse led by as many as 16 early in the second half, but Alpena came storming back. A 15-0 run made the score 41-40 in favor of the Norse with just over 12 minutes to play. The Norse offense revived itself, but with eight minutes to play Elijah Hemmings (FR, Flint, MI) connected on a jump shot to give Alpena their first lead of the game since early in the first half.
Bay's defense stepped up when they needed it the most. Alpena did not score a field goal for the final six-and-a-half minutes. It allowed the Norse to open a lead back up into double-digits. The Lumberjacks were six of six from the free throw line in the waning minutes, but it was not enough as Bay held on for the nine-point victory.
Bay shot the ball relatively well, connecting on 50.0% of their shots from the floor. They did leave points on the charity stripe in key moments, only converting seven of 18 free throws in the contest.
Mawo finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Kemp also put up 15 points while grabbing five rebounds. Sweeney added 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Joshua Ofori (FR, Shakopee, MN) totaled 12 points and five rebounds.
Hemmings led all scorers with 30 points by hitting eight of 16 shots, two of which were behind the three-point line, and connecting on 12 of 13 free throws for Alpena. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Trevon Johnson (FR, Grand Blanc, MI) added ten points.
The Norse now have won 24 consecutive MCCAA Northern Conference games, a streak dating back to last season when Bay joined the conference and went undefeated in conference play. They will defend that streak on Saturday afternoon on Alumni Day when they host Muskegon Community College. Bay won a close battle back on January 20 against the Jayhawks by a final score of 76-72. Saturday's game will tip at 3 pm.