MILWAUKEE, Wis – The Bay College Norse Women’s Basketball Team (4-4) took a tough loss on the road Wednesday night, falling to the Bryant & Stratton Bobcats (4-4) by the final score of 82-78.

The Norse committed 28 turnovers, including two untimely ones on their final two possessions after Anisa Longs had buried back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 78-78. Bay had the ball in the final seconds with a chance to take the lead, but a bad pass was intercepted, and the Bobcats’ Trishena Brown was sprung on a breakaway. The Bobcats’ leading scorer, who is closing in on the school’s all-time scoring record, made her two free throws, putting the Norse behind, 80-78.

After a time out, Bay had another chance, but that pass also went bad, and the Bobcats intercepted that one and scored a short jumper just before the buzzer to make it an 82-78 final.

Early in the game, it looked like the Norse would run away with this one. Bay jumped to an 18-4 lead in the first four minutes, as Anna Axtell, Makenna Hendrickson, and Lauren Zawada all drained shots from behind the arc. The Bobcats responded behind Brown’s ten points, closing to within 24-22 after one quarter.

The second quarter went back-and-forth, with Kennedy Sproule knocking down a pair of threes and scoring eight points. Zawada had three baskets to cancel out six more points from the Bobcats’ Brown, and Bay held a 44-38 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Norse struggled against the Bobcats’ zone defense, with multiple turnovers leading to baskets at the other end. Bay managed only 15 points in that quarter, eight of them by Zawada, and Bryant & Stratton led, 62-59, after 30 minutes.

In the fourth quarter, Bay fell behind, 71-61, before mounting a comeback. Sproule’s triple cut it to 71-64 with 5:18 left, and then with 3:58 left, another Zawada basket cut it to 71-68. Hendrickson knocked down a jumper, making it 71-70, and after a free throw at the end, Axtell scored inside, tying the game at 72-72 with 2:01 left in the game.

On the next play, though, with Axtell and Hendrickson trapping the Bobcat guard, Axtell was called for a foul, her fifth, which meant it was the end of her night. The Bobcats scored the next six points to grab the upper hand, before Longs hit the two threes to re-tie the game at 78.

Unfortunately for the Norse, the untimely turnovers did them in.

Zawada, a Bark River-Harris graduate, had a career high 22 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Sproule barely missed a double-double of her own, getting 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Axtell chipped in 15 points and seven boards, and Hendrickson scored eleven points.

Brown did it all for the Bobcats with 27 points. She also had ten assists and nine steals, and she brought down five rebounds. Addie Miller had 12 points and added ten rebounds, and Markella Bolds contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds.