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DES PLAINES, Ill.---The Bay College Norse women's basketball team lost its second straight road game Friday evening, and it was another game that came down to the wire.

Much like in Wednesday night's four-point loss at Bryant & Stratton, the Norse were in a position to pull out a win Friday against undefeated Oakton Community College, but ultimately fell, 78-75.

It was Bay's fourth loss by six points or less this season, and the Norse watched their record fall to 4-5 on the season. Oakton, meanwhile, went to 11-0 in what was one of its closest wins of the season.

“It was a very fast-paced game, just like I was planning,” Norse Coach James Fassett said. “I liked the pace we played at, but it took us a while to adjust, and to get our shots. I think in the second half, once we kind of adjusted to that, we got the pace closer to what we wanted, and making them execute in the half court.”

Bay College got off to a 9-4 lead after an Anna Axtell basket, but the Owls outscored the Norse 20-8 over the next five minutes to take a 24-17 lead. The main culprit was Destynia McGruder, who used here strength and positioning in the paint to score seven points in that quarter, and Madison Eversgerd was also hot early on, scoring eight points for the Owls.

In the second quarter, the Owls continued to build their lead as McGruder scored ten more points and Monica Sierzputowski added seven points. Oakton led, 50-36, at halftime.

But the Norse got back in the game by dominating the third quarter. A triple by Kadie Kaukola cut the deficit to 55-48 with 3:40 left, and then Brooklyn Phillips sank a three of her own with 1:05 left in the third, cutting the Oakton lead to 61-58 entering the fourth quarter.

The Norse defense was big in the quarter, face-guarding McGruder and keeping her completely off the scoreboard. Bay outscored Oakton, 22-11, in that third quarter, with six different players scoring during that ten minutes.

“A lot of the halftime conversations are just about having some heart, right?” Fassett said. “Having some pride. Going out and being confident in what we do as a team, and what we do as individuals. I think sometimes just sparks something in kids. We just need to consistently put two halves together.”

In the fourth quarter, the Norse briefly took the lead when Kennedy Sproule attacked the basket on two straight trips, giving her team a 65-64 lead, and then a 67-66 lead, entering the final five minutes.

“Over the summer, I really worked on playing around the rim,” said Sproule, who's mostly known for her three-point shooting abilities. “With the score so close, I was trying to fins smarter shots. I do trust my three-pointers, but at the same time, I needed to knock some (inside shots) down to get the score even closer. I was happy that I was able to perform my game.”

McGruder, however, replied with a driving basket that turned into an “and-one trip, making it 71-67 with 4:08 to play. The Norse climbed to within 71-70 with 2:58 left on a triple by Kyra Anders, and then Lauren Zawada scored with 39.7 seconds left to cut the Oakton lead to 76-73.

The Owls, however, put it away at the foul line, and survived a last-ditch effort by the Norse to send the game into overtime. McGruder led the Owls with a double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds.

The Norse were led by Axtell's 15 points, while Sproule scored 13 and Longs chipped in eleven points. Zawada contributed twelve points, making four double digit scorers for Bay.

Bay will try to salvage the final game of the three-game, four-day roadtrip, when it takes on the McHenry College Scots Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 2:00 ET/1:00 CT.