Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and to hear post-game comments from Norse Coach Matt Gregory. Also listen to Leaa Allen's player spotlight interview

IRONWOOD---The Bay College Norse women's basketball team was in another battle with the Gogebic Community College Samsons Wednesday night in Ironwood, trailing by just two points with five minutes left in the game.

But as has happened so many times this season, the Norse couldn't make that final push down the stretch, and suffered another loss. Gogebic finished the game on a 13-3 run, with eight of those points coming from center Emily Nelson of West Iron County High School, and GCC beat the Norse for the third time this season, 59-47.

For Bay College Coach Matt Gregory, it was another frustrating game, as the team has had a chance to pull one out late many times this season, including all three games with the rival Samsons. So far, the Norse have not been rewarded for hard work as they fell to 4-10 on the season entering their conference opener this Saturday in Grand Rapids.

“A slow start,” Gregory said of his team scoring just 14 points in the first half. “I mean, that first half was nothing to write home about. A lot of missed bunnies, missed baskets, missed lay-ups. When you're shooting that way (14 percent from the floor) early on, it's very, very tough to try to claw back and make a game of it.”

But the Norse did just that. After trailing 23-14 at halftime, Niagara's Alyssa Cretton caught fire in the second half. She scored ten points in the third quarter, as the Norse closed to within 37-31 going to the final ten minutes. And when Kassidy Roll scored with 8:11 left in the fourth quarter, Bay trailed just 40-39 with plenty of time left.

Nelson drained a triple to restore a four-point lead for GCC, but moments later, Cretton answered with a three of her own. That allowed Bay to climb to within 46-44.

Bay, however, had no answer for Nelson. She scored eight straight points, putting her team ahead, 54-44, and she added a blocked shot on defense at the other end. That pretty much put the game away as the Samsons improved to 11-1 on the season.

“She's a tough player,” Gregory said of Nelson. “She's been a thorn in our side. A lot of things happen when she's on the court. She draws a lot of attention. She has some height, she has some strength. She had a couple of big ones to keep her team in the lead at the end there.”

Besides Nelson's 23 points, Kylee Hewitt scored 11 points and added nine rebounds for the Samsons. Ida Bengtsson contributed ten points.

For the Norse, Cretton led the way with 19 points and she had seven rebounds. Emma Rutter of Superior Central had a team-high 11 rebounds. Claire Van Ginhoven of Gladstone chipped in twelve points, but fouled out of the game. The Norse played without fellow Gladstone alum Alaina Trudeau, who hurt her knee last weekend in Florida.

The Norse have lost six games in a row, but that all gets wiped clean with the start of Bay's first-ever appearance in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association.

The next 14 games are all conference games, which will determine whether the Norse make the post-season or not. It all starts with a game on the road against Grand Rapids Community College this Saturday afternoon. The Raiders are 6-4 on the season after beating Lansing Community College, 67-40, Wednesday night.

Saturday's game starts at 1:00 and will be broadcast live on FM-106.3 and on-line at www.radioresultsnetwork.com.