Editor’s Note: This story has been edited to add updated information to the story. The score of the team’s most recent game as well as their current record and the date of the next game have been added to the bottom of this piece.
The College of DuPage women’s basketball team was ready to run against Southwestern Michigan College on Dec. 7 after a big comeback win on Tuesday over College of Lake County. The Chaparrals kept a steady pace against the Roadrunners but struggled to find the energy to take control at home. COD couldn’t keep up with SMC coming out of halftime, falling 61-49 and leaving their record at 3-6.*
“Today we were not as focused as we were on Tuesday,” head women’s basketball coach Abby Talley said. “That came down to discipline [and] execution. [The Roadrunners] coming out of halftime with energy and getting that huge lead really set us back.”
Sophomore guard Sierra Gibson led the team with 16 points and put up four total rebounds. She also made one steal. Gibson said the Roadrunners gained momentum through transitions, and it kept COD’s defense on the move.
“We were getting really tired on defense,” Gibson said. “It was hard to get our safeties back because we were just giving all of our energy to stop their main scorers. They just kept getting easy transition buckets, and that was it. They didn’t need that much energy to just toss the ball down the court.”
Sophomore guard Delmarea Willis scored eight points and made four defensive rebounds. She also added one assist and one steal.
“It’s all about teamwork,” Willis said. “We just have to come together as a team and let our work show. We have the talent; we just have to put it all together. I know we all wanted it, but we physically just weren’t there.”
Sophomore guard Iwiyisi Osaghae added seven points and made eight total rebounds. She also recorded two steals and two blocks. Osaghae said the team put their heads down when they should’ve kept going.
“We weren’t getting back quick enough on defense,” Osaghae said. “By the time we were trying to rebound the ball, one of their teammates was already down. We were trying to hustle back to get it, but we’d either foul or they would already make the bucket. We were trying to get back and push the ball, but we weren’t in our speed or tempo during the game.”
Sophomore forward Savannah Anderson tallied four points with 10 total rebounds. She also picked up one steal.
“[SMC] controlled the pace of the game today, which kind of caught us off guard,” Anderson said. “We didn’t take back control which kind of broke us down as a team, and we didn’t play together like we should have and like we have in the past. When we’re on the same page and come together, we play phenomenal.”
Talley said the team is looking to move forward and pick it up in their next matchup.
“We have a quick turnaround,” she said. “The good thing about basketball is that we can’t really sulk for too long. We have a game on Saturday against a very good Elgin team. I’m hoping that we step up. We’ll learn, reset, refocus and get ready for Saturday.”
*COD took on the Elgin Community College in Elgin, Ill. on Dec. 9. They got within one point at the end of the fourth quarter, but couldn’t turn the tides. The Chaps fell to the Spartans 54-53, leaving their record at 3-7. COD takes on the McHenry County College Scots at 5 p.m. on Dec. 12 at Klaas Court.
