Mar. 6, 2026, FLINT, MI – The Grand Rapids Community College women's basketball team saw its memorable season come to a dramatic and heartbreaking end Friday night, falling 57–55 to Bay College in the semifinals of the NJCAA Great Lakes District C Tournament at Mott Community College.

The loss ends the Raiders' season with a 20–10 overall record after finishing second in the conference during the regular season. Bay College improves to 25–5 and advances to Sunday's district championship game against No. 2-ranked Schoolcraft College.

Friday's contest was tightly contested throughout. The teams were tied 14–14 after the first quarter before GRCC used a strong second quarter to build a 32–24 halftime lead.

Bay College responded in the third quarter with an 11–2 run to take its first lead of the second half at 35–34. The Norse held a narrow 40–38 advantage heading into the fourth.

The Raiders reclaimed the momentum early in the final quarter when Alison Rockburn knocked down two free throws with 8:15 remaining to give GRCC the lead back. Moments later, a three-pointer from Tianna Daye pushed the Raiders' lead to seven with just over four minutes to play.

Bay battled back, cutting the deficit to one with 1:07 remaining. After both teams came up empty on their next possessions, the Norse were forced to foul repeatedly to stop the clock. Harmonie Belton stepped to the line with 18 seconds remaining and made the first free throw but missed the second. A jump ball was called on the rebound, and the possession arrow favored Bay.

Bay's leading scorer, Lauren Zawada, capitalized moments later, scoring the tying basket with 12 seconds left to make it 55–55.

After a timeout, GRCC looked to hold for the final shot. Daye drove to the basket, but her layup rolled off the rim. Zawada secured the rebound with just 0.9 seconds remaining.

Bay called timeout and advanced the ball to half court for what appeared to be the final play. Zawada received the inbound pass and attempted a shot as the buzzer sounded, drawing a foul call with 0.1 seconds remaining. The controversial call stood, and Zawada calmly converted both free throws to give Bay the 57–55 lead.

GRCC had one final chance, inbounding from half court. The Raiders executed the play perfectly to free Avery Peot for a layup, and she was able to get the shot off in time, but it fell just short as the buzzer sounded.

Despite the loss, GRCC's defense — the backbone of its success all season — delivered another standout performance. The Raiders recorded 17 steals, forced 25 Bay turnovers, and held the Norse to 33 points below their season average of nearly 90 points per game.

The Raiders featured a balanced offensive effort. Rockburn led the way with 10 points, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. Peot and Daye each finished with nine points.

Sophia Wozniak and Belton each added eight points and seven rebounds, while Belton also contributed a game-high five assists and five steals.

Following a highly successful season, several Raiders are expected to be recognized when postseason conference awards are announced early next week.

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Interested in supporting GRCC Athletics?  All donations can be done through GRCC Athletic's Scholarship Fund and can specify what scholarship fund the gift is going to, such as the Hofmann scholarship. If you have any questions on how to support Athletics at Grand Rapids Community College, contact the Athletic Department via phone at (616) 234-3883 or email grccathletics@grcc.edu. Any support is appreciated and goes towards assisting our student-athlete scholarship funds.