PETOSKEY, MI – The Bay College Women's Basketball Team (9-7, 1-0 MCCAA) picked up their fifth consecutive win as they started their conference season with a 79-34 victory over the North Central Michigan College Timberwolves (1-13).
The Norse took control early in the matchup and after being tied at two in the early going, they took the lead and never looked back. A 13-0 run that ate up most of the first quarter put the road team in command.
The Norse used their pressure defense to frustrate the Timberwolves throughout the night. Bay created 24 NCMC turnovers in the first half. A second quarter offensive outburst put Bay in control. Led by Ashlee Burchette (FR, Minneapolis, MN) who hit five of ten shots for 11 points in that timeframe, the Norse outscored their hosts 30-13. The Norse headed into the locker room up by a score of 45-18 at halftime.
Bay shifted their focus in the second half. Putting aside their full court pressure that they normally hang their hat on, they chose instead to concentrate on a controlled half court attack on both offense and defense. The change had little effect on the outcome however, as the Norse continued to go on runs and effectively suppressed the North Central attack. Jada Freudinger (FR, Norway, MI) had a fantastic third quarter, putting up seven points, grabbing six rebounds, and collecting three steals.
North Central Michigan never really got rolling on offense and sputtered in the final period. The Timberwolves would only hit on two field goals in the final ten minutes, good for just five points. Even with the Norse offense stumbling a bit to the tune of shooting 26.3% in the final quarter, they were still able to build their lead to 48 in the final minutes of the game. In the end the final score was a runaway 45-point victory for Bay College.
Burchette was 12 of 27 from the field for the game and led all scorers with 26 points. She also had eight steals, four rebounds, and four assists. Emma Rutter (SO, Chatham, MI) ended up with 12 points and eight rebounds while Freudinger also scored 12 points while grabbing seven rebounds in the contest. Leah Allan (SO, Oconto, WI) finished with ten points and four rebounds.
The Timberwolves were led by Caley Zukowski (SO, Lockport, IL) who had seven points. Lindsey Cross (Fr, East Jordan, MI) and Gloria House (FR, Johannesburg, MI) each grabbed seven rebounds.
The Norse will be on the road again this weekend as they travel to Muskegon Community College. They will start that game at 1 pm on Saturday afternoon.