Although BGSU women’s basketball fell short against No. 12 Ohio State on Sunday, senior guard Amy Velasco once again shined for the Falcons.
Velasco scored a game-high 24 points against the Buckeyes, marking her fourth 20-point performance of the season.
“Amy just makes adjustments; you only have to tell Amy something once, and she makes the adjustments,” BGSU head coach Fred Chmiel said postgame.
Velasco scored BG’s first five points of the contest with a layup on the first possession and a three-pointer. She ended the first quarter with a team-high eight points on 3-4 shooting.
At the end of the first half, Velasco was the only Falcons with more than one field goal made, draining six in the first 20 minutes.
She scored at all three levels throughout the game — making layups on both sides of the basket, sinking floaters, nailing mid-rangers, hitting a three-pointer and going a perfect 7-7 at the charity stripe.
“Couldn’t do it without them (her teammates),” Velasco said postgame. There’s five people on the floor, and it just wouldn’t be possible without them.”
Velasco has taken major strides in the first six games of this season. After averaging a career-high 14.5 points per game last season, she is averaging 20.5 points per game so far this year, ranking near the top of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
Although it is a relatively small sample size, she has improved her field goal percentage from 42.9% last season to 52% this season and her three-point percentage from 37.7% to 48%.
“Her progression as a player has been easy because she listens, and she performs, and she can execute what you’re telling her.”
Velasco also led the team with three assists, marking her fourth time leading the team in that category this year.
“She’s becoming a playmaker, not just a scorer,” Chmiel said. “The points are helping us, but she’s becoming a playmaker and a facilitator; she controls the game. We’d be in big trouble without her.”
Next, Velasco and the Falcons will head to Daytona Beach, Florida, for the Daytona Beach Classic. They will battle Stetson on Friday, Nov. 29, and Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 30, with both games starting at 1:15 p.m.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Kaden Knapp will have the call for both matchups on WBGU 88.1 FM.
