Todd Rose | Daily Press Bay College’s Chris Dobessi (10) goes for the shot against Gogebic Community College Wednesaday night in Escanaba.

ESCANABA — The Bay College men broke into the win column in convincing fashion here Wednesday night in a 99-59 basketball rout of the Gogebic Community College Samsons.

Bay led 45-39 at halftime before taking off in the second half of its home opener.

“This was a great effort by our kids,” said Bay coach Matt Johnson. “Every one of the guys worked hard. I think our depth was our biggest strength, and we did a much better job on defense in the second half. They have some good athletes, and they’re only going to get better. Dennis (coach Mackey) always gets his kids to play hard. That’s a real nice team. They’ll be tough when we play them later this season.”

Bay’s Chris Dobessi drained a jump shot from the right corner to start the second half, giving the Norse a 48-39 lead.

“We drew up that play at halftime, and Chris hit a nice shot,” said Johnson. “That set the tone for the rest of the second half. The guys executed that play real well.”

The Norse (1-3) made it 50-39 on a putback by Dollar Bay graduate Jaden Janke 51 seconds into the second half.

After sharp-shooting guard Marlen Williams brought the Samsons within 50-43, the Norse scored 21 of the next 22 points and gained an insurmountable 71-44 advantage on a 21-foot jumper by Cedarville graduate Tristan Masuga with 13 minutes left to play.

Gogebic led 13-11 six minutes into its season-opener. The Norse then scored the next six points, taking a 17-13 lead on Dobessi’s jumper from the lane.

Williams tied the score at 17 on a pair of free throws at 10:39.

Bay regained the lead on Didier Ngambo’s 20-foot set shot from the right wing and made it 22-17 on a fast break layup by Dobessi at 8:35.

Gogebic was within 40-38 late in the first half when Yohance London hit a layup on a pass from Williams.

The Norse, however, didn’t allow the Samsons to get any closer.

Dobessi finished with 20 points. Janke added 18 points and 11 rebounds and Marinette grad Matt Wagner had 10 points.

Williams paced the Samsons with 26 points, including 16 in the first half. Key collected 13 points and five steals.

“We did a real good job guarding him (Williams) in the second half,” said Johnson. “He’s so quick. He created a lot of things for them in the first half. Tyler Sundling did a great job on the defensive end and helped us pick up our intensity.”

The Norse, who got 47 points from their bench, hit 39-of-75 field goals, held a 48-30 rebounding advantage and committed 14 turnovers.

“Our turnovers and rebounding are the things I’m most disappointed in,” said Johnson. “We need to get better on the boards to rebound against bigger teams.”

The Samsons finished 19-of-65 from the floor and had 16 turnovers. Both teams had five miscues in the first half.

Bay travels to Illinois this weekend, visiting Triton College Friday, Morton College Saturday and South Suburban College on Sunday.

“We have to make sure we stay healthy and come ready to play,” said Johnson. “This will be the most difficult weekend we have all year.”

Gogebic 39 20 — 59

Bay College 45 54 — 99

Gogebic Community College — Key 13, Williams 26, Saubert 6, Khan 3, Busch 2, London 2, Merriweather 4. FT: 13-21, F: 11; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Key 3, Williams, Saubert.

Bay College — Dobessi 20, A. Janke 4, Wagner 10, J. Janke 18, Gibbs 8, Gray 9, Raymond 8, Sundling 6, Masuga 8, Ngambo 8. FT: 12-19; F: 19; Fouled out: Masuga; 3-point field goals: Gray 2, Raymond 2, Masuga 2, Dobessi, J. Janke, Ngambo.