Monday, March 27
Bowling Green, Ohio
6:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
31-6,14-4MAC
69
vs
52
Florida
19-15,5-11SEC
1
2
3
4
F
Florida
14
17
11
10
52
Bowling Green
15
13
22
19
69
Amy Velasco (1) scored 14 of her 18 points during the third quarter
Photo by: Mallory Hiser, BGSU Athletics
Falcons Fly Past Florida into Fab 4
March 27, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Amy Velasco's own personal third-quarter run lifts BGSU into the lead for good
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Amy Velasco went on her own personal third-quarter run to give the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team the lead for good, and the Falcons went on to a 69-52 win over the University of Florida on Monday night (March 27). The game, a WNIT fourth-round (Great 8) contest, took place before a raucous crowd at the Stroh Center.
With the win, the Falcons (31-6) have tied the school – and the Mid-American Conference – record for wins in a season. BGSU will host Columbia in the WNIT's Fab 4 Wednesday evening (March 29).
Velasco scored 14 of her team-leading 18 points in the third quarter, going 6-of-7 from the field in that 10-minute stretch. With the Falcons trailing by three points, the sophomore scored nine-straight points to give BGSU a 41-35 lead. Then, after the Gators (19-15) hit a pair of free throws, Velasco knocked down a corner three with 2:24 left in the quarter, putting the hosts up by seven.
Velasco then hit a floater in the final minute of the period, before Jocelyn Tate's last-second layup gave BG a 50-42 lead after 30 minutes.
An 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter gave BG a 15-point lead, and the Falcons were on their way to the Fab 4.
In addition to her 18 points, Velasco led the Falcons with five assists. Elissa Brett had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Allison Day scored 12 points in the win. Lexi Fleming had seven points, seven boards and a game-high five steals, while Jocelyn Tate had six points, a game-high 12 rebounds and four assists.
Kadie Hempfling also had six points, hitting two three-pointers in the final minute of the first half to cut BG's deficit to three points at the intermission.
Sophie Dziekan had four points and led all players with a plus/minus rating of +21 in the win.
BGSU outscored Florida, 41-21, in the second half, and the Falcons had just four second-half turnovers, compared to 13 for the Gators.
Leilani Correa led the Gators with 20 points off the bench.
NOTE OF THE NIGHT: THAT'S A LOT OF WINS!
• BGSU, as mentioned, has tied the school and the Mid-American Conference records for wins in a season. This year's team is now 31-6.
• The only other MAC women's basketball program to win 31 games was the 2006-07 Falcons. That BGSU squad advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Championships, finishing 31-4.
ADDITIONAL NOTE OF THE NIGHT: THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE!
• A crowd of 3,788 attended Monday night's win, the third-largest attendance figure for a BGSU women's basketball game in Stroh Center history and the Falcons' sixth-largest crowd ever. The list...
LARGEST BGSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HOME CROWDS
1. 4,408 Florida – March 17, 1993 (NCAA Tourn.; Anderson Arena)
2. 4,144 Loyola Chicago – Nov. 20, 2018 (Stroh Center)
3. 4,130 Xavier – Dec. 6, 2017 (Stroh Center)
4. 4,100 Cincinnati – March 15, 1989 (NCAA Tourn.; Anderson Arena)
5. 4,013 Toledo – Feb. 19, 1992 (Anderson Arena)
6. 3,788 Florida – March 27, 2023 (WNIT; Stroh Center)
QUOTING COACH ROBYN FRALICK
"What a night! I was really proud of our team. Our crowd, our fans, our student section ... it's such a joyful and rewarding feeling to see so many good things come together. For our university and our community, this was a really special night."
(On Amy Velasco)
"She's shifty, she's crafty, she's tough. We kept running a lot for her. She's hard to guard, and she really got us going in that second half. I thought it really gave us some good momentum on the offensive end. I'm so proud of Amy. She handles the ball, she's under a lot of pressure, and she's tough as nails."
FIRST QUARTER
• Lexi Fleming opened the game's scoring, taking a Jocelyn Tate pass and knocking down a three-point try from the left wing on the game's first possession. Then, however, the Gators would score the game's next nine points. KK Deans hit a three-point try, before Jordyn Merritt made back-to-back layups. Then, a Merritt steal led to a Nina Rickards run-out, and the Falcons used a timeout.
• Tate's offensive rebound resulted in an Allison Day jumper, but Alberte Rimdal's corner three gave the Gators a 12-5 lead. The BG defense, however, would allow Florida to score only two points during the final 6:28 of the quarter.
• Day took an Amy Velasco pass and hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Neither team scored for over two minutes, and no one made a field goal for close to four minutes, but Day's baby hook cut the UF lead to a single point. Leilani Correa's layup broke a scoring drought of 5:02 for the Gators, giving her team a 14-11 lead with 1:27 on the clock, but Tate scored on a driving layup, and Day was fouled with 2.8 seconds left in the quarter, hitting both charity tosses for a 15-14 BGSU lead after 10 minutes.
• Day had nine of the Falcons' 15 points in the quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
• A step-back three by Deans opened the second-period scoring, and Correa's jumper gave UF a four-point lead, but Elissa Brett answered with a driving layup before Velasco pulled up and hit a jumper that tied the score, 19-19.
• Then, Velasco found Brett for a transition three-pointer, before Rickards ended BG's 7-0 run with a free throw. Once again, the teams went scoreless for several minutes, before a Florida flurry late in the period.
• Correa hit back-to-back layups after Florida steals, and when a third consecutive steal led to yet another Correa hoop, the Gators had a four-point lead as the Falcons used a timeout. But, the visitors got a stop before Deans hit a triple try, giving the Gators a 10-0 run and a 29-22 lead with 1:28 left in the half.
• Kadie Hempfling's three-point try was off the mark with a minute to go in the half, but Tate grabbed the rebound and whipped the ball back out to Hempfling. This time, Hempling's long-distance shot found nothing but net. Ra Shaya Kyle answered with a layup, but Brett's pass led to a corner three from Hempfling that beat the buzzer and cut the UF lead to just three points, 31-28, at the half.
THIRD QUARTER
• Fleming's free throws opened the scoring, but Merrit answered with a jumper. And, after Fleming fed Day for a hook shot, Kyle's layup gave the visitors a 35-32 lead. But, Velasco was about to take over.
• The sophomore hit a pull-up jumper, then a driving and-1 layup, with the free throw giving BG a two-point advantage. She drove and hit a contested banker over a taller Florida player, then drove to the rim again, this time slicing between two defenders for a bucket and a 41-35 lead as the Gators used a timeout.
• Florida stopped Velasco's 9-0 run with a pair of free throws, but Day kicked the ball to Velasco in front of BG's bench, and Velasco's corner three gave the Falcons a 44-37 advantage.
• Coorea answered with a triple, but Tate worked her way inside for a layup. In the final minute of the period, Velasco took a Sophie Dziekan pass and hit a floater, and after a Dziekan steal, Tate found herself unguarded and drove for a last-second layup and a 50-42 lead.
• Velasco went 6-for-7 from the field in that third period, while Florida made just three field goals as a team.
FOURTH QUARTER
• Brett took Velasco's inbounds pass and hit a short jumper just 11 seconds into the period, for the first double-digit lead of the game. Merritt answered with a three, but Tate found a cutting Brett for a layup, then Brett hit a running one-hander. Fleming turned the ball over, but immediately stole the ensuing inbounds pass deep in Florida's defensive end, laying the ball off glass and in. Dziekan's right-side jumper gave the Falcons a 60-45 lead with six minutes to go.
• Two Correa free throws ended BG's 8-0 run, but BG broke the Gators' press, and Brett's pass resulted in a wide-open layup for Dziekan. Then, Day spotted Brett for a floater and a 64-47 lead.
• Correa's three-pointer – Florida's first field goal in a span of nearly seven and a half minutes – cut the BG lead to 14, but the Gators would get no closer. Velasco made two free throws, then threw an inbounds pass to Brett for a layup, and a Day charity toss gave BG a 19-point advantage before a late Correa bucket capped the scoring.
• Brett had 10 points in the fourth period, going 5-for-8 from the field during that time.
Gallery: (3-27-2023) 032723 wbk v Florida
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• BGSU shot just 27.8 percent from the field in the first half, while Florida shot 41.9%. And, BGSU committed 12 turnovers to the Gators' nine in the opening 20 minutes.
• But, as mentioned, the Falcons outscored the Gators by a 41-21 count after halftime, and BG had just four second-half turnovers. The Falcons forced Florida into 13 turnovers in the second half.
• For the game, the Falcons shot 38.0%, while holding UF to a 35.8% success rate. BGSU had a 47-35 rebounding advantage, with the Falcons grabbing 17 offensive boards.
• BG also had advantages in points in the paint (36-20), points off turnovers (18-13) and second-chance points (16-6).
UP NEXT
• The Falcons meet Columbia in the Fab 4 on Wednesday (March 29), with tipoff set for 6:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN3.
• The winner of Wednesday's game will meet either Kansas or Washington in Saturday's (April 1) WNIT Championship, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET and will be hosted by one of the participating schools.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on...
• Facebook | @BGWBB
• Twitter | @BGAthletics and @BGSUwbb
• Instagram | @bgsuwbasketball
• Snapchat | BGSU Falcons
With the win, the Falcons (31-6) have tied the school – and the Mid-American Conference – record for wins in a season. BGSU will host Columbia in the WNIT's Fab 4 Wednesday evening (March 29).
Velasco scored 14 of her team-leading 18 points in the third quarter, going 6-of-7 from the field in that 10-minute stretch. With the Falcons trailing by three points, the sophomore scored nine-straight points to give BGSU a 41-35 lead. Then, after the Gators (19-15) hit a pair of free throws, Velasco knocked down a corner three with 2:24 left in the quarter, putting the hosts up by seven.
Velasco then hit a floater in the final minute of the period, before Jocelyn Tate's last-second layup gave BG a 50-42 lead after 30 minutes.
An 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter gave BG a 15-point lead, and the Falcons were on their way to the Fab 4.
In addition to her 18 points, Velasco led the Falcons with five assists. Elissa Brett had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Allison Day scored 12 points in the win. Lexi Fleming had seven points, seven boards and a game-high five steals, while Jocelyn Tate had six points, a game-high 12 rebounds and four assists.
Kadie Hempfling also had six points, hitting two three-pointers in the final minute of the first half to cut BG's deficit to three points at the intermission.
Sophie Dziekan had four points and led all players with a plus/minus rating of +21 in the win.
BGSU outscored Florida, 41-21, in the second half, and the Falcons had just four second-half turnovers, compared to 13 for the Gators.
Leilani Correa led the Gators with 20 points off the bench.
Absolute scenes in Bowling Green ‼️@BGSUwbb | #MACtionpic.twitter.com/TQKrjhxlsE
— #MACtion (@MACSports) March 28, 2023
NOTE OF THE NIGHT: THAT'S A LOT OF WINS!
• BGSU, as mentioned, has tied the school and the Mid-American Conference records for wins in a season. This year's team is now 31-6.
• The only other MAC women's basketball program to win 31 games was the 2006-07 Falcons. That BGSU squad advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Championships, finishing 31-4.
ADDITIONAL NOTE OF THE NIGHT: THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE!
• A crowd of 3,788 attended Monday night's win, the third-largest attendance figure for a BGSU women's basketball game in Stroh Center history and the Falcons' sixth-largest crowd ever. The list...
LARGEST BGSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HOME CROWDS
1. 4,408 Florida – March 17, 1993 (NCAA Tourn.; Anderson Arena)
2. 4,144 Loyola Chicago – Nov. 20, 2018 (Stroh Center)
3. 4,130 Xavier – Dec. 6, 2017 (Stroh Center)
4. 4,100 Cincinnati – March 15, 1989 (NCAA Tourn.; Anderson Arena)
5. 4,013 Toledo – Feb. 19, 1992 (Anderson Arena)
6. 3,788 Florida – March 27, 2023 (WNIT; Stroh Center)
The Fab 4 is set!! 🏀🏆 pic.twitter.com/mAjK3iP8Iy
— WNIT (@WomensNIT) March 28, 2023
QUOTING COACH ROBYN FRALICK
"What a night! I was really proud of our team. Our crowd, our fans, our student section ... it's such a joyful and rewarding feeling to see so many good things come together. For our university and our community, this was a really special night."
(On Amy Velasco)
"She's shifty, she's crafty, she's tough. We kept running a lot for her. She's hard to guard, and she really got us going in that second half. I thought it really gave us some good momentum on the offensive end. I'm so proud of Amy. She handles the ball, she's under a lot of pressure, and she's tough as nails."
FIRST QUARTER
• Lexi Fleming opened the game's scoring, taking a Jocelyn Tate pass and knocking down a three-point try from the left wing on the game's first possession. Then, however, the Gators would score the game's next nine points. KK Deans hit a three-point try, before Jordyn Merritt made back-to-back layups. Then, a Merritt steal led to a Nina Rickards run-out, and the Falcons used a timeout.
• Tate's offensive rebound resulted in an Allison Day jumper, but Alberte Rimdal's corner three gave the Gators a 12-5 lead. The BG defense, however, would allow Florida to score only two points during the final 6:28 of the quarter.
• Day took an Amy Velasco pass and hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Neither team scored for over two minutes, and no one made a field goal for close to four minutes, but Day's baby hook cut the UF lead to a single point. Leilani Correa's layup broke a scoring drought of 5:02 for the Gators, giving her team a 14-11 lead with 1:27 on the clock, but Tate scored on a driving layup, and Day was fouled with 2.8 seconds left in the quarter, hitting both charity tosses for a 15-14 BGSU lead after 10 minutes.
• Day had nine of the Falcons' 15 points in the quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
• A step-back three by Deans opened the second-period scoring, and Correa's jumper gave UF a four-point lead, but Elissa Brett answered with a driving layup before Velasco pulled up and hit a jumper that tied the score, 19-19.
• Then, Velasco found Brett for a transition three-pointer, before Rickards ended BG's 7-0 run with a free throw. Once again, the teams went scoreless for several minutes, before a Florida flurry late in the period.
• Correa hit back-to-back layups after Florida steals, and when a third consecutive steal led to yet another Correa hoop, the Gators had a four-point lead as the Falcons used a timeout. But, the visitors got a stop before Deans hit a triple try, giving the Gators a 10-0 run and a 29-22 lead with 1:28 left in the half.
• Kadie Hempfling's three-point try was off the mark with a minute to go in the half, but Tate grabbed the rebound and whipped the ball back out to Hempfling. This time, Hempling's long-distance shot found nothing but net. Ra Shaya Kyle answered with a layup, but Brett's pass led to a corner three from Hempfling that beat the buzzer and cut the UF lead to just three points, 31-28, at the half.
THIRD QUARTER
• Fleming's free throws opened the scoring, but Merrit answered with a jumper. And, after Fleming fed Day for a hook shot, Kyle's layup gave the visitors a 35-32 lead. But, Velasco was about to take over.
• The sophomore hit a pull-up jumper, then a driving and-1 layup, with the free throw giving BG a two-point advantage. She drove and hit a contested banker over a taller Florida player, then drove to the rim again, this time slicing between two defenders for a bucket and a 41-35 lead as the Gators used a timeout.
• Florida stopped Velasco's 9-0 run with a pair of free throws, but Day kicked the ball to Velasco in front of BG's bench, and Velasco's corner three gave the Falcons a 44-37 advantage.
• Coorea answered with a triple, but Tate worked her way inside for a layup. In the final minute of the period, Velasco took a Sophie Dziekan pass and hit a floater, and after a Dziekan steal, Tate found herself unguarded and drove for a last-second layup and a 50-42 lead.
• Velasco went 6-for-7 from the field in that third period, while Florida made just three field goals as a team.
FOURTH QUARTER
• Brett took Velasco's inbounds pass and hit a short jumper just 11 seconds into the period, for the first double-digit lead of the game. Merritt answered with a three, but Tate found a cutting Brett for a layup, then Brett hit a running one-hander. Fleming turned the ball over, but immediately stole the ensuing inbounds pass deep in Florida's defensive end, laying the ball off glass and in. Dziekan's right-side jumper gave the Falcons a 60-45 lead with six minutes to go.
• Two Correa free throws ended BG's 8-0 run, but BG broke the Gators' press, and Brett's pass resulted in a wide-open layup for Dziekan. Then, Day spotted Brett for a floater and a 64-47 lead.
• Correa's three-pointer – Florida's first field goal in a span of nearly seven and a half minutes – cut the BG lead to 14, but the Gators would get no closer. Velasco made two free throws, then threw an inbounds pass to Brett for a layup, and a Day charity toss gave BG a 19-point advantage before a late Correa bucket capped the scoring.
• Brett had 10 points in the fourth period, going 5-for-8 from the field during that time.
STATS, NOTES & NUMBERS
• BGSU shot just 27.8 percent from the field in the first half, while Florida shot 41.9%. And, BGSU committed 12 turnovers to the Gators' nine in the opening 20 minutes.
• But, as mentioned, the Falcons outscored the Gators by a 41-21 count after halftime, and BG had just four second-half turnovers. The Falcons forced Florida into 13 turnovers in the second half.
• For the game, the Falcons shot 38.0%, while holding UF to a 35.8% success rate. BGSU had a 47-35 rebounding advantage, with the Falcons grabbing 17 offensive boards.
• BG also had advantages in points in the paint (36-20), points off turnovers (18-13) and second-chance points (16-6).
UP NEXT
• The Falcons meet Columbia in the Fab 4 on Wednesday (March 29), with tipoff set for 6:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN3.
• The winner of Wednesday's game will meet either Kansas or Washington in Saturday's (April 1) WNIT Championship, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET and will be hosted by one of the participating schools.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• For more information on all things BGSU women's basketball, follow the Falcons on...
• Facebook | @BGWBB
• Twitter | @BGAthletics and @BGSUwbb
• Instagram | @bgsuwbasketball
• Snapchat | BGSU Falcons
Team Stats
UF
BGSU
FG%
.358
.380
3FG%
.333
.231
FT%
.636
.818
RB
35
47
TO
22
16
STL
13
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballG
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