ESCANABA, MI – The #18 Bay College Men's Basketball Team (23-5, 12-2 MCCAA) avenged a lopsided loss on the road from earlier this year when they snapped the tenth ranked Mid Michigan Lakers' (24-4, 13-1 MCCAA) 21-game win streak in the final game of the regular season. The Norse defended their home court and won by a final score of 91-78.
The Norse led by as many as nine in the first half but could not hold of the Lakers. Joe Iung (SO, Middleton, MI) finished a basket at the rim with just over six minutes left to play in the first half, and it gave Mid Michigan their first lead of the game.
Zavier Hayes (FR, Richfield, MN) buried a three-point attempt on the next possession, reclaiming the lead for the Norse. After a KaiRee Gadson (SO, Rochester, MN) basket, the Lakers answered with a three and layup on consecutive possessions, giving them their second lead of the game. Free throws put Bay back on top, but it was short lived as Amonti Greene (FR, Mount Pleasant, MI) converted on an "and one" play. Mid Michigan carried a 42-41 lead at halftime.
After Mid made the first basket of the second half, Gadson erased the lead with a three-pointer. Moments later a technical foul put Nic Williams (SO, La Crosse, WI) on the line, and he converted both free throws. Joe Ofori (SO, Shakopee, MN) hit a jumper on the following possession, and Ryan Sweeney (SO, Green Bay, WI) scored from beyond the three-point arc shortly after that. That 10-0 run gave the Norse a lead they would not relinquish.
Bay led by as many as 11 at one point, but Mid Michigan continued to fight, and a three from Jayden Hardiman (SO, Ferndale, MI) drew the Lakers to within three points with just over ten minutes to play.
That would be the last time it was a one-possession game.
Bay quickly built a double-digit lead, putting the contest away late. After leading by 16 with under a minute to play, Bay College finished off the game, handing Mid Michigan their only conference loss of the season, building confidence and important momentum heading into postseason play.
The Lakers were held to 20 points below their season average and shot just 39.0% for the game, including 29.0% from three-point, despite hoisting up 31 attempts from beyond the arc. They turned the ball over 17 times throughout the night, including key times down the stretch.
Bay shot 50.0% from the floor, even though they were just four of 13 from three-point. They limited the turnovers to 12 for the matchup.
Bay had six players finish in double-digits scoring and were led by Ofori who had 16 points and six rebounds. Josh Williams (SO, Connorsville, IN) had 15 points and six rebounds off the bench. Tre Sanigar (FR, Superior, WI) added 13 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Gadson finished with 12 points while Sweeney had 11 points and seven rebounds. D'Marco Chelley (FR, St. Paul, MN) also had 11 points.
James Wright (SO, Redford, MI) led all scorers with 21 points. He also grabbed ten rebounds. Greene hit on three three-pointers on his way to 20 points. Iung finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Mario Johnson (SO, Belleville, MI) had ten rebounds off the bench for the Lakers.
Mid Michigan won the MCCAA North outright and will advance to the MCCAA Championship.
Bay College is the second seed from the MCCAA Northern Conference and will be a part of the Region 12 Great Lakes District A Tournament. They have earned the right to host the quarterfinal game to be played on March 4. The Delta College Pioneers will be the opponent in that matchup.
Bay won the previous two matchups of the year handily. At Delta on January 25 the Norse took a 118-96 victory. This past weekend Bay hosted Delta and ended up with a 97-75 win on February 22. The game on March 4 will tip at approximately 7:30. Ticket information will be released as soon as it is available.