The Gogebic Samson Women's Basketball Team hit the road for the first time this season as they participated in the Bay College Fall Classic in Escanaba. The Samsons came away victorious in both contests as they defeated Alpena Community College on Friday and Bay College on Saturday. 

Against Alpena, the 1st quarter was a tight back and forth battle with both teams possessing the lead. After connecting for two free throws, GCC freshman Kylee Hewit put the Samson up 9-7 with 3:58 to go. The Lumberjacks quickly answered and tied the game with a bucket inside from forward Jade Schultz. Alpena was able gain momentum and finished the quarter leading by 2, 15-13. Schultz made her presence known immediately in the 2nd quarter when she was fouled and made the basket. This play drew the second foul on GCC's Emily Nelson and Shultz made the free throw for three points the hard way. Once the Lumberjacks stretched their lead of the game to 7 (20-13), GCC fought back offensively. Freshman Hanna Hoskin hit a 3-pointer with 6:19 to go in the second quarter which cut the Alpena lead to 2 (20-18). GCC took the lead back with 4:15 to go as Freshman Ida Bengtsson went coast to coast for an easy lay-in that put GCC up by 1, 24-23. GCC did not relinquish the lead as Freshman Phoenix Corbine hit a field goal at the buzzer to give the Samsons a 4 point edge (33-29) going into halftime.

GCC came out firing on all cylinders to start the 3^rd quarter as they built their largest lead of the game with 1:58 to go in the quarter. GCC’s 13-point lead (46-33) forced Alpena to call a timeout to regroup. Schultz was able to get inside for another field goal before the end of the quarter and GCC took an 11 point lead into the final quarter. Although fatigue and foul trouble started to come into play for the Samsons in the 4^th quarter, GCC was able to withstand multiple comeback attempts from Schultz and the Lumberjacks. They cut the GCC lead to 4 points on two separate occasions in the quarter, but Alpena never got closer than that as GCC won 57-53. 

Alpena was led by Shultz who scored 14 points.  GCC was led by Freshman Hanna Hoskin with 15 points and 4 steals. Fellow Freshman Ida Bengtsson chipped in 11 points and 4 rebounds. GCC had 17 steals and forced 23 Lumberjack turnovers. 

On Saturday, the GCC Samsons Women’s Basketball Team faced the Norse of Bay College. Although GCC never trailed, this game was a high-energy battle that featured ties, swings, scoring runs and foul trouble. Emily Nelson got things going for GCC when she took the ball inside and made the shot and was fouled. She hit her one shot from the charity stripe to put GCC up 3-0 early on. The Samsons attacked the Norse defense right away. This offensive focus put the Samsons up 13-6 towards the end of the 1^st quarter as Freshman Jazmine Redhouse, Kylee Hewitt, Ida Bengtsson and Hanna Hoskin all scored early. The unphased Norse stormed back though with a 6-0 run of their own and only trailed by one point at the end of the 1^st quarter. GCC continued the offensive focus throughout the second quarter and after Samson Freshman Nicole DiGiorgio scored inside after securing an offensive rebound, the Samson’s lead 31-18 with 2:51 to go in the quarter. Once again however, the Norse fought back and cut the lead to 6. Although GCC took a 6 point advantage into the locker room at halftime, foul trouble was beginning to mount. Hoskin, Hewitt and DiGiorgio all had two fouls in the first half and Bengtsson was called for three. 

Bay College continued to cut into the GCC lead as the Samsons navigated foul trouble and fatigue. The Norse tied the score at 37 with 2:27 to go in the 3^rd quarter and on the next possession, GCC Freshman Bengtsson picked up her 4^th personal foul. GCC Freshman Kylee Hewitt stepped up when fouls were accumulating for the Samsons. Although mostly known for her solid skills on the defensive end, Hewitt looked to be more of an offensive threat against the Lumberjacks. The Norse kept hanging around in the second half as the Samsons just couldn't pull away. As the 4th quarter continued, Bay's Amya Harris hit a jumper with 1:50 to go which brought the Norse within 2 points (49-47). Hewitt countered with a long field goal on the baseline to put GCC back up by 4, but that two possession lead didn't last long. Alyssa Cretton hit a huge 3-point shot with 1:18 left to bring the Norse within one, 51-50. GCC's didn't convert on their next possession as Jasmine Redhouse missed a 3-point jumper. The Samsons got a defensive stop on Bay's next possession and Redhouse found herself open on the three-point line again. This time, she drilled the shot with 48.8 to go to put GCC up by four.  When the Norse were forced to foul, Redhouse came up clutch again as her two free throws with 5.7 seconds left sealed victory for the Samsons.  

Hewitt led GCC with 17 points, 9 rebounds and a solid game defensively.  Emily Nelson chipped in with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Hanna Hoskin and Jasmine Redhouse both had 7. Bay was led by Alyssa Cretton who scored 14.