Click the thumbnails to see photos taken by Cohen Thompson, video highlights, and hear post-game comments from Anna Axtell and Coach James Fassett.

ESCANABA---The Bay College Norse women's basketball team turned in a dominating performance on both ends of the court Wednesday night, beating the Alpena Community College Lumberjacks, 108-19, at the Bay College Gym.

The Norse defense allowed just four points in the first half, and pitched a shutout in the second quarter, forcing 39 turnovers along the way. The win allowed the Norse to keep pace in the MCCAA standings with first place Mid-Michigan and second place Muskegon, both of whom won their games earlier in the day on Wednesday.

“We have to play one way, regardless of who we're playing,” Norse Coach James Fassett said. “This isn't the goal. The goal isn't to beat Alpena. The goal is to get to the national tournament. This was just one game that we had to play. It's a way to work on bad habits and to point out bad habits. In a game like this, you can do something wrong and get away with it. But in a game against Muskegon or Mid-Michigan, a bad rotation can hurt you.”

Anna Axtell led the way with a career-high 39 points, shooting 16-of-29 from the floor, and she drained five triples.

“I started out with some inside shots, and then worked my way outside,” Axtell said. “I think I got confident and really didn't have to think about it. I just kept shooting. Everybody played great on defense. A lot of us were out getting steals and the press was working pretty good. They didn't have the chance to even set up an offense.”

Indeed, that's true, as Bay led, 21-4, after one quarter, and outscored the Lumberjacks 30-0 in the second quarter. The 51-4 score at halftime saw the Norse allow only one basket and two free throws. In the second half, Alpena (2-16 overall, 1-9 MCCAA) managed eleven points in the third quarter, but only four more in the fourth quarter.

All nine Bay players scored in the win, and five of them tallied in double figures.

Besides Axtell's 39 points, Kennedy Sproule scored 19 points and had nine rebounds.

Mckenzie Hoffmeyer had 15 points and seven steals off the bench, and Makenna Hendrickson added eleven points, eight rebounds, and seven steals. Lauren Zawada chipped in ten points.

Bay College improved to 15-9 overall, 7-2 in MCCAA play. The Norse have a big game Saturday in Muskegon, where they'll try to avenge an earlier loss to the Jayhawks. Game time is 1:00, and you can hear the action on FM-106,3 and at www.baynorse.com.