Bay College freshman Connor Coduti looks to make a pass against Gogebic Community College on Nov. 13, 2024 at Bay College in Escanaba. (Adam Hinch/Daily Press)

ESCANABA — It may not have been a masterpiece, but the Bay College men found a way to grind out a much-needed 86-79 basketball triumph over the Gogebic Community College Samsons here Wednesday night.

The victory, which ended a two-game losing streak, enabled the Norse to improve to 3-2. The Samsons are 2-1.

“Gogebic made us grind,” Norse coach Matt Johnson said. “That’s who they are and what they do. Our overall energy wasn’t where we needed it to be.”

The Norse led just 74-70 with 3:38 left to play before sophomore guard Ryan Sweeney drained a 22-foot jump shot to put them up by seven points.

A layup by sophomore guard Kadin Baxter brought Gogebic within 80-74 at 1:23.

Sophomore guard Nic Williams sank a layup to put the Norse up by eight and freshman wing Zavier Hayes hit two free throws for an insurmountable 84-74 advantage with 26.8 seconds remaining.

The Samsons got even closer early in the second half when freshmen guard X’Zavion McCoy brought them within 53-52 on a trio of gifters.

Bay responded with eight unanswered points, extending its lead to 61-52 on Sweeney’s shot from the lane.

After the Samsons cut their deficit to seven, the Norse answered with a 7-0 run for a 68-54 cushion midway through the second half.

Gogebic, however, refused to go away.

“We had opportunities,” Gogebic coach Dennis Mackey said 11 nights after earning his 500th coaching victory in a 77-57 conquest of DME Academy at Wisconsin-Marshfield. “We had the ball with a four-point deficit, but just didn’t execute. Number five (Sweeney) hit some big 3s. He’s a good player and very unselfish. Anybody would love to have him. Overall, we did okay. Playing a team like Bay can only make us better.”

The Norse took a 34-20 lead on a 20-foot jumper from the left wing by Sweeney with four minutes left in the first half.

Gogebic climbed within 36-29 on a set shot from top of the key by St. Ignace graduate Kevin Frazier.

The Norse, however, led 44-34 at the intermission.

Sweeney finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Menominee grad Connor Coduti added a career-high 16 points and a steal.

Bay, which held a 47-33 rebounding advantage, scored 40 points in the paint. The Samsons hit 30.

“They stayed with us the whole time,” Coduti said. “I just wanted to help our team win. We needed that after losing two games in Iowa. We came a couple plays short in both games down there, but tonight we pulled through. I didn’t realize they were that close after they got within 53-52. They have some taller guys. Getting the points in the paint was encouraging. We had to take advantage of those.”

The Norse hit 29-of-70 field goals and committed 14 turnovers. The Samsons were 29-of-66 from the field and had 20 miscues.

“Ryan has been our best player in the last few games,” Johnson said. “He had to carry us. We need to help him out. Connor hit some huge shots and was really good on the defensive end. He has come a long way and definitely played himself into more opportunities. We absolutely needed a win. They don’t always have to be pretty, but we need to self-evaluate ourselves. We gave up 45 points in the second half. We let them score way too easily. We’ve got to do some soul searching and decide if we want to pay the price and get some defensive stops.”

McCoy paced the Samsons with 20 points and seven assists. Sophomore guard Bradyn Pieper hit points and freshman forward tallied 11 points and eight boards.

How does it feel to reach 500 victories?

“It’s very humbling,” Mackey said. “It’s a combination of having good players and longevity. In the second half we were on the verge of getting knocked out of here. This was only our third game. We lost out on two games last weekend which interrupted our continuity. A couple teams backed out, but that’s okay. We’re fast and we have some shooters. We’ll be fine.”

The Norse are idle until Nov. 23 when they meet Lake Region State of Devils Lake, N.D. at Hamline University in Minneapolis. The Samsons return to UW-Marshfield Wednesday.

Box score

Gogebic 34 45 — 79

Bay College 44 42 — 86

Gogebic Community College — Baxter 4, McCoy 20, Browning 11, Pieper 14, Johnson 9, Frazier 3, Salkauskas 6, Moreno-Bautista 8, Cortes 2, Klingman 2. FT: 10-14; F: 26; Fouled out: Browning; 3-point field goals: McCoy 4, Pieper 2, Moreno-Bautista 2, Salkauskas.

Bay College — Freeman 3, Kelley 5, Sweeney 26, N. Williams 9, J. Williams 4, Lindsey 4. Clements 4, Coduti 16, Plunger 2, Hayes 4, Johnson 3, Fort 6. FT: 21-29; F: 20; Fouled out: J. Williams; 3-point field goals: Coduti 4, Sweeney 3.