BOWLING GREEN — Don’t expect Bowling Green State University women’s basketball coach Fred Chmiel to soften up his team’s nonconference schedule anytime soon.
There’s a reason why the Falcons are playing Associated Press top-15 power conference teams like West Virginia and Ohio State, just like last season when BGSU hosted top-ranked South Carolina and traveled to top-20 squads in Iowa and Indiana.
“I’m hoping that we make the NCAA tournament, and when you make the NCAA tournament, that first or second round, you’re going to see one of those teams. If you’re not ready, if you haven’t seen that before, you’re going to be a little bit shell-shocked,” said Chmiel, who is in his second year leading the Falcons after spending eight seasons as an assistant at South Carolina.
“So in preparation for that, we play those teams. Also, [I] like going into Ohio State and West Virginia and the stands are packed, playing in hostile environments and experiencing new arenas and giving the kids those experiences. We welcome challenges. We’re not hiding from anybody. We try to play a tough schedule, so when [Mid-American Conference] play hits, we’re ready to go. I’m happy with this progression. I think those games have helped us, so moving forward, I think we’re only going to get better.”
The 30-point and 40-point losses to the Mountaineers and Buckeyes last month weren’t necessarily fun for Chmiel and his squad, but there is no question that they were beneficial.
The Falcons (5-4) embrace every opportunity they have to take on a high-powered foe.
“Both of those teams are going to make us better,” BGSU senior guard and leading scorer Amy Velasco said. “... We want to battle those top opponents. We want to prove ourselves and just go out there, compete, work hard. We want to play those opponents.”
What BGSU has done since its 96-53 loss to Ohio State on Nov. 24 shows what the Falcons could be capable of the rest of the season.
BGSU has won each of its past three games, including a 79-78 victory over Southeastern Conference opponent Arkansas on Nov. 30 in Florida and a 78-59 win over Big East Conference foe Xavier on Dec. 7 at the Stroh Center. A convincing 79-43 win over Stetson on Nov. 29 has also been a highlight of the Falcons’ recent stretch.
BGSU has shot 46.5 percent from the floor, assisted on 61 of 94 of its field goals, and has posted a remarkable 136-85 rebounding advantage during its winning streak.
Chmiel said his team’s competitive spirit and execution has changed after its early-season setbacks, which include single-digit losses at Detroit Mercy and Cleveland State.
“I think they’ve increased their potential with that,” Chmiel said. “Down the stretch in Arkansas, I had all my timeouts. I called a timeout, every [possession after a timeout] we came out and we scored. They did a fantastic job with that. That’s execution, and they competed against an SEC team and a very good Stetson team and a Xavier team that came out here and wanted to win. There’s many more challenges ahead.”
Another key factor for BGSU has been its health. BGSU could be at full strength sooner rather than later, according to Chmiel.
Senior guard Lexi Fleming scored nine points on three 3-pointers in a little less than 14 minutes off the bench against Xavier in her first game since suffering a season-ending knee injury against Indiana on Dec. 22. Finding her role with a lot of new faces this season will be key for Fleming going forward.
“I think we saw in the summer how much potential this team has, so you knew from the start that you had to keep working. Your role’s going to be your role; whatever you do, you’ve got to commit to it, whether that’s the 15th man on the bench or you’re the starter playing 40 minutes,” Fleming said. “Whatever it might be, all roles are important and that’s what I’m kind of taking it right now. I’m just doing what I can to help out the team right now.”
Meanwhile, freshman guard Johnea Donahue returned for the Xavier game after missing the previous three contests. She had a career-high 10 points with four steals, four rebounds, and three assists off the bench; for the season, Donahue has 16 steals in six games.
“There’s very few players that I’ve seen that can impact the game defensively the way that she does,” Chmiel said. “She changes the landscape of what the other team does.
“... The way we want to play, we want to play up tempo, we want to play aggressive defensively, and she fits that bill.”
BGSU will get another chance at earning a quality win when it hosts Marquette (7-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Stroh Center. The Golden Eagles, who have won seven straight games, are one of five Big East teams with two losses or fewer.
First Published December 17, 2024, 7:47 p.m.
