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Bay Norse Men Come Up Short In OT Again, 93-87
 MASON CITY, Iowa---The Bay College Norse men's basketball team rallied from 12 points down but lost another tight game, this time to North Iowa Community College, 93-87, Saturday in Mason City, Iowa. The Norse have now lost two games in overtime and another in regulation by two points to start their first season in four decades. Dre Tuominen led the Norse comeback by scoring 28 points, including eleven straight free throws. Alfonzo Fields scored 16 points, including twelve on four three-point baskets. Kobi Lumsden-Barnes was saddled with four personal fouls for most of the game until Norse Head Coach Matt Johnson brought him in to take advantage of his 6-foot-9 frame in the final minutes. That move came up big as Lumsden-Barnes scored two baskets and two free throws in the final minute, with the free throws giving the Norse a 76-75 lead with ten seconds left on the clock. The Trojans tied it up, however, then won in overtime. The Norse trailed by a dozen points late in rhe first half before Fields caught fire, knocking down a three at the buzzer after Marquette graduate Garrett Finkbeiner inbounded at the other end of the court, got it to Tuominen, who skipped a bounce pass to Fields for the triple. That brought Bay to within 44-40 at halftime, and then early in the second half, Gladstone graduate Joe Gibbs scored in the paint to put the Norse on top, 47-45. The Norse hit a dry spell offensively for the next two minutes, and the Trojans went on a 10-0 run to take a 55-47 lead. But Finkbeiner responded with a three-pointer to cut it to 55-50 with 11:47 left in the second half. Then Tuominen caught fire, like he did so many times in his Negaunee High School basketball career. Tuominen scored his team's next eleven points, with a couple of bombs and a pair of driving layups in the mix. He tied the game at 63-63 with five minutes left. NIACC's Raymond Harding hit a fall-away jumper with 1:30 left to put his team ahead, 75-72, but Lumsden-Barnes scored with 59 seconds left, then got to the foul line as he rebounded a Tuominen three-point miss. The Milwaukee Vincent High School graduate calmly sank the two foul shots, giving Bay a 76-75 lead. But Australian Nick Hurd was able to get down court and draw a foul, making one of two free throws to send the game in overime. The Norse had a chance to win in, but a long baseball pass to Gibbs with 1.4 seconds left was intercepted by Hurd. And in the extra session, Bay's bad luck returned for a third straight game. The Norse played strong defense for a good 30 seconds, but as the shot clock expired, Orrington Harrington swished a three-pointer. Then after a Norse miss, Jaycob Payne tossed up a triple that rolled around the rim, bounced in the air, and fell. Bay was in a six-point hole, and even though Tuominen made eight straight free throws, the Norse could not cut into the deficit, and lost their thid straight heartbreaker. The Norse returned home to Escanaba at about 5:00 Sunday morning (including the hour gained on the time change) after a long bus ride through the fog. Bay College faces the Alpena Community College Lumberjacks Wednesday night at 7:30. The game will be broadcast live on WMXG-FM (Maverick 106.3) and on-line at www.radioresultsnetwork.com. Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see videos from the game, and to listen to post-game comments from Norse Coach Matt Johnson. |
