Does it have to be a foul?

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by Kelvin green

I agree with Boomer... if it would be PC in the middle of the floor why isnt it PC on the sideline?

I have seem too many train wrecks this year not called..... The good collisions have to be called.

Change the scenario a bit. A1 loses control. A2 and B2 sprint after the lose ball and meet at a perfect 45 degree angle and knock each other unconscious, after which the ball goes out of bounds. The point being that severity of contact is not necessarily what dictates a foul. So, back to the OP. If I had said that A1 realized she had nowhere to go, but, in spite of her best attempt, was unable to change direction in time and made slight contact with B1's torso before losing her dribble out of bounds, would that change the verdict? I look at the definition of a personal foul:
......contact which hinders an opponent from.....normal defensive maneuvers.
Contact was made a split second before the ball went out of bounds. The defender was not hindered from anything. That being said, I believe that a foul call in this case would be better received than a no call, even by those on the wrong end of the call.