ESCANABA — It was a day of mixed results for the Bay College Norse here Saturday as they split their basketball games with South Suburban College of South Holland, Ill.

The women snapped a six-game losing streak in a 67-50 conquest of the Bulldogs, and the men’s upset bid fell a little short in a 74-60 loss to the nation’s top-ranked junior college team.

“We played our tails off,” said Bay men’s coach Matt Johnson. “The kids did a great job executing the game plan for 36 minutes. They’re very good. They’re very athletic and well-coached.”

It was a successful coaching debut for Mid Peninsula graduate Haley Trudell, who filled in while head coach Matt Gregory was under quarantine.

“It’s cool to be able to step up into that position,” she said. “It’s exciting to see the girls do well. We needed to get out of that slump.”

Back-to-back set shots, including one from top of the key, by St. Ignace grad and sophomore forward Madison Olsen helped the Norse take a 19-12 lead after the first quarter.

“It felt great to get some momentum,” said North Central grad and freshman point guard Andi Arsenault, who scored 13 points. “We felt a little more comfortable after Maddie hit those 3s. This is a confidence builder for sure. Ending that streak makes us more excited to play our next game and see how we do. There was a lot of energy today. We just wanted to get back out there after what happened last week (in an 83-26 loss to Bryant & Stratton).”

The Norse (7-11) extended their lead to 26-12 on a running five-foot jumper by Mid Pen grad and sophomore forward Chevy Koski midway through the second frame and led 29-14 after a jump shot from top of the key by fellow Mid Pen grad and sophomore guard Kennedy Englund at 4:20.

“I played more relaxed today,” said Englund, who failed to score against Bryant & Stratton. “We just focused on running our offense and played a better team game. It felt good to hit a couple shots early. Maddie, Chevy and Andi played good games. This really helps us out. This boosted our morale.”

The Bulldogs (4-12) responded with a 7-0 run, trimming their deficit to 29-21 on a jumper from top of the key by freshman forward Samya Gardner.

Bay, however, hiked its advantage to 36-22 by halftime and extended it to 49-23 on a putback and free throw by Gwinn grad and freshman forward Tianna Taylor midway through the third.

The Bulldogs then began to rally their troops, slicing their deficit to 51-35 on a layup by freshman guard Karletta Rucker late in the third and 51-39 on a layup by freshman forward/center Destiny Johnson early in the fourth.

Following a time-out, a lay-in and gifter by Koski gave the Norse an insurmountable 54-39 cushion.

“I guarantee Chevy is going to give us 100 percent all the time, and Kennedy is a very good player,” said Trudell. “I played high school ball with Kennedy, and she’s very good at hiding her frustration. Maddie had the highest 3-point shooting percentage at the beginning of the season. Her 3-pointers before the end of the first quarter were huge.

“It got a little scary out there for a while. We needed to call time out and regroup a little bit. It’s really a sense of relief to get this win under our belts.”

Englund finished with 13 points and five assists, and Koski added nine points and three assists.

Smith was the Bulldogs leader with 13 points.

Bay held a 38-32 rebounding advantage and hit 25-of-49 field goals, including 11 triples. The Norse had 15 turnovers. The Bulldogs were 21-of-61 from the floor and had nine miscues.

The Bay men led 27-22 at halftime and took a 42-32 lead on a pair of free throws by Brimley grad and sophomore guard Marcus Harris more than 6 1/2 minutes into the second half.

The Bulldogs (15-0) rallied to tie the score at 42 on a 15-foot set shot by sophomore forward Nuri Knighten midway through the second.

Bay regained the lead on a pair of gifters by freshman wing Gavin Gothard and made it 46-42 when freshman guard Tre Burris swiped an inbound pass and converted it into a fast break layup.

The Chicago area squad scored five unanswered points, taking a 47-46 lead on a running eight-foot jumper and free throw by sophomore guard Camron Donathan at 9:15.

Gothard, however, split a pair of free throws on a technical foul, and Harris drained a jumper from top of the key for a 50-47 lead with 8:56 remaining.

The Bulldogs took the lead for good at 51-50 on a 20-foot jumper from the left baseline by sophomore guard Nmesomachi Nnebedum at 6:50. The Norse, however, didn’t just go away.

Bay was still within 58-55 with 3:53 left to play when Gothard sank a 21-foot jumper from the right wing.

South Suburban answered with a 7-0 run, gaining a 65-55 cushion on a jumper from top of the key by freshman guard Damarco Minor with two minutes remaining.

The Norse climbed within 65-60 on a pair of charity tosses by Harris but were unable to score in the final 78 seconds.

“We did a great job on defense and the boards,” said Johnson. “We held them 20 points under their average. When you work hard and battle good things will happen. When we got up by 10, we knew they were going to make another run. We just didn’t do quite enough to shorten that run. If we play this hard and tough against everybody, we’re going to win a bunch of games.”

The Norse (12-8) were outrebounded 33-32, hit 17-of-46 field goals and committed 13 turnovers. The Bulldogs were 24-of-55 from the floor and had nine miscues.

Freshman guard Jacquez Overstreet led the Norse with 17 points and four steals. Harris scored 16 points. Burris added 13 points and Gothard finished with 11.

“Marcus hit some real big baskets, and Jacquez had his best game so far this year,” said Johnson. “When we made mistakes, they made us play. Against the No. 1 team in the country, you have to play nearly perfect, and we didn’t quite get there.”

Minor paced the Bulldogs with 20 points, 11 rebounds, two blocked shots and four assists. Nnebedum scored 17 points and Donathan had 14.

The Bay men host Dakota County (Minn.) Technical College Jan. 24. The women travel to Hancock to face Finlandia Jan. 29.

Women

South Suburban 12 10 13 15 — 50

Bay College 19 17 15 16 — 67

South Suburban College — Smith 13, Hughes 5, Hawkins 9, Gardner 8, Rucker 6, Johnson 9. FT: 5-12; F: 12; Fouled out: None; 3-point field goals: Gardner 2, Hawkins.

Bay College — Englund 13, B. Arsenault 5, A. Arsenault 13, Koski 9, Taylor 8, Frappy 2, Cretton 2, Trudeau 5, Olsen 8, Clark 2. FT: 6-11; F: 11; Fouled out: None.

Men

South Suburban 22 52 — 74

Bay College 27 33 — 60

South Suburban College — Minor 20, Nnebedum 17, Taylor 9, Donathan 14, Bartman 2, Smith 3, Knighten 9. FT: 18-28; F: 18; Fouled out: Taylor; Technical foul: Minor; 3-point field goals: Nnebedum 5, Minor 3.

Bay College — Kang 3, Overstreet 17, Burris 13, Harris 16, Gothard 11. F: 16; Fouled out: None; Technical foul: Burris; 3-point field goals: Harris 4, Overstreet 3, Gothard 2.