“Ladies and gentlemen, Rocky Balboa, Roxanne Balboa”
Those words, uttered by BGSU women’s basketball head coach Fred Chmiel towards sophomore guard Paige Kohler as she approached the table for the postgame press conference after a 71-67 season opening victory vs Southern Mississippi.
Kohler had finished the night with 19 points on 7-13 shooting, going 3-8 from three as well. A terrific game, especially for the first game of the season, but the focus on her night was on something else.
That something was the insane toughness and fight Kohler showed throughout the night. Kohler was knocked down to the floor, suffered black eyes and bloody noses and kept getting up, back up on the floor and got ready to fight yet again.
“Yeah, Paige is a very tough player, I love her,” sophomore forward Taya Ellis said postgame. “She’s very aggressive, she has that thrill to her. She really wants to win, like she’ll get knocked down when she’s getting back up and she’s coming back harder.”
Chimel had similar praise for Kohler after the game.
“Paige will do whatever it takes, if it takes sticking her face in there, she’s going to stick her face in there,” Chmiel said. “Regardless of her size or stature, she’s a fighter and that’s what I love about her.”
Where does Kohler’s desire for victory and her fighting mentally come from? In her words, her desire to help her teammates succeed.
“For my teammates, I don’t wanna let them down,” Kohler said. “I know how much it sucks to go in the locker room after the game after a loss and we don’t want that feeling, but just being there for my teammates.”
The Falcons next game will be at Detroit Mercy, on Friday, Nov. 8 with tip-off at 7:00 p.m.
