One of the biggest nightmares that Bowling Green State University’s women’s basketball team can’t afford to have happen became a reality on Saturday.
There’s no question it made a tough impact that led to Toledo taking control.
Falcons’ veteran point guard Amy Velasco picked up two early fouls and had to sit for the final 14 minutes of the first half as Toledo built a 15-point lead. She picked up her third foul early in the third quarter before eventually being one of three BGSU starters to foul out in Toledo’s 82-70 Mid-American Conference victory at Savage Arena.
“It changes a lot. A lot. She’s probably the biggest impact player we have,” BGSU coach Fred Chmiel said of Velasco. “The ball is in her hands for a majority of the game, so it affects it a lot.
“I think she got a bum rap. I think there were some of those that shouldn’t have been called. She’s a smart basketball player, she tries to keep herself out of trouble. … She’s been the driving force for us throughout these games, especially since [Lexi Fleming] went down. To not have her on the floor is a huge blow.”
BGSU (11-9, 5-5 MAC) has been able to find ways to manage having just nine players available for most of MAC play.
Starters — like guards Velasco, Morgan Sharps, and Paige Kohler — have been logging huge minutes each game, but when a player like Velasco is out, the offense changes for BGSU.
Velasco finished with eight points and four assists in a season-low 19 minutes before fouling out with 6:48 left. It was just the second time in 90 career games that the junior fouled out (March 20 at Green Bay), and the 19 minutes were her fewest in the past 34 games.
Velasco, who has reached double figures in scoring in 16 of 20 games this season, also had 27 assists in her previous three games.
“I have a lot of respect for Amy Velasco and what she brings to their program,” Toledo coach Tricia Cullop said. “It certainly helped us when she fouled out.
“She brings a lot of energy. To me, she’s the glue of that team. She’s the little Energizer bunny that does it all, and I just have a lot of respect for her ability to score, create opportunities for other people, and just her heart she pours into the game.
“I think her teammates feed off of that.”
With Velasco on the bench, Toledo (16-4, 9-1 MAC) outscored BGSU 26-18 to take a 37-22 halftime lead. The Falcons struggled on offense by shooting just 36 percent (9-of-25), with 13 turnovers leading to 17 Rockets’ points in the opening 20 minutes.
“They were definitely capitalizing off our turnovers, and it’s just kind of hard to come back from that when they’re kind of snowballing one thing into another,” Kohler said.
“It’s one thing you can fix in the second half, but, when we started off like that and we’re down 15 at half, kind of hard to overcome.”
Although BGSU trailed by double digits most of the second half, the Falcons certainly made the latest Battle of I-75 interesting later.
Kohler’s jumper late in the third quarter sparked a big comeback as the Falcons, who trailed by 19 early in the half, cut their deficit to 72-65 with 4:29 left. Kohler, a freshman, had 10 of her game-high 22 points in the rally, and Sophie Dziekan’s putback and two free throws helped BGSU pull within three possessions.
“I don’t want to let my teammates down, and we have to stick together and play for each other,” Kohler said.
Kohler’s deep 3-pointer with 3:21 left trimmed Toledo’s lead to 75-68, but the Rockets held the Falcons to two points — a Kohler jumper with 58 seconds remaining — the rest of the way.
Kohler shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from the floor, including 50 percent (5-of-10) in the second half. She also had seven rebounds and four assists in playing the entire game.
Erika Porter had 18 points (7-of-10 shooting), five rebounds, and five assists before fouling out with 6:27 left. Sharps had 12 points and five assists, and Olivia Hill had six points and a game-high eight rebounds (four offensive) before fouling out with 1:47 remaining.
First Published February 4, 2024, 12:19 a.m.
