Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos from the game. Also click the AUDIO buttons to hear post-game comments from Coach Jamesd Fassett, and the player spotlight interview with Anna Axtell.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.---The Bay College Norse women's basketball team took another heartbreaking loss on Saturday, this time to the Florida State College-Jacksonville Manta Rays, 57-55, at a tournament hosted by Palm Beach State College.

The Norse lost both games on this Florida trip by a combined three points. Bay's record fell to 7-7 on the season, with six of those losses coming by six points or less.

Janay Demmitt broke a 55-55 tie with an uncontested drive to the basket with 3.1 seconds left on an out-of-bounds play, and then the Norse had a great chance to send it to overtime, but Anna Axtell missed a point-blank lay-up on the baseline as time expired.

“It was a good effort,” Norse Coach James Fassett said. “Tough game. Jacksonville was tough and they made us work for everything we got, and we made them work a little bit. They stretched the lead a little bit, but we battled back, hung in, and give ourselves a chance to win in the end.”

Early on, it was a back-and-forth game as Bay fell behind, 6-0, but took a 13-12 lead after a McKenzie Hoffmeyer back-cut that resulted in a basket, and an “and-one” hoop for Anisa Longs. The Norse stretched their lead to 23-14 in the second quarter on another Longs basket and a Lauren Zawada basket-and-foul.

Bay led, 31-24, at halftime, after Axtell made four straight free throws and then scored on a driving lay-up at the second quarter buzzer.

The third quarter was rough for Bay, getting outscored, 25-10, with Tanaujeah Brown getting ten of those points (including 6-for-6 at the foul line). The Manta Rays led, 49-41, entering the fourth quarter, before the Norse found their second wind defensively.

Bay battled back again, largely behind the play of Zawada, who stepped it up at both ends of the court. Longs scored on a short jumper to bring Bay to within 55-53, and then Zawada got a steal at half court, went to the basket, and scored, tying the game at 55.
 

The Norse got another stop on the Manta Ray offense that was having trouble handling the pressure, but Zawada's lay-up for the lead hit the top of the shot clock at the top of the backboard, making it a turnover and a dead ball.

With the game still tied, the Mat.nta Rays ran a “stack” play and got an uncontested driving lay-up with 3.1 seconds left in the game by Jamay Demmitt.

“Defensively, we just made a dumb move and we chased them,” Fassett said. “The back girl in the stack ran around and curled around to the basket, and we just chased her around there. Nobody was protecting the basket, so we just have to be smarter in those situations and then understand what we're protecting. When someone is running away from the basket, you don't have to chase them away from the basket.”

And the final play of the game?

“Run up to the ball, set a back screen for the person on the corner, and we curl it and we've got a lay-up,” Fassett said. “If they chase it, then we throw it wide. They chased it, and we got the lay-up, but we just missed it.”

Despite the late miss, Axtell led the Norse with 15 points, Zawada added 13 points, and Longs chipped in ten. Bay, however, made just 16 of 28 free throw attempts in the game. Jacksonville made 19 of 26 free throw shots.

FSC-Jacksonville (9-8) got 13 points each from Demmitt and Brown.

The non-conference season is over for the Norse, and they'll take a 7-7 record into the MCCAA North schedule, which is a 14-game sprint on Wednesdays and Saturdays over the next six weeks. It will start with a visit to the newest member of the MCCAA, Montcalm Community College, on Jan. 11 at 1 p.m.