The College of DuPage women’s basketball team started their Division II season at home against a physical Richard J. Daley College. Despite moving up a division this past offseason, the Chaparrals were not rattled and played above the competition to blowout the Bulldogs in a 67-19 win. 

Assistant women’s basketball coach Jordan Heberg took over as head coach for this game after the absence of head coach Abby Talley. “This game wasn’t the competition we really wanted for our first game, but it was good to have as a first step in leaning back into the new season,” said Heberg. “It’s nice to be playing Division II, and we have to be better than last year. We definitely have a deeper bench compared to last season, and we’re looking to take it farther than last year. It sucked not having Abby as a head coach today, but she definitely trusted me, and I was excited to coach them [players] tonight.”

The Chaparrals set themselves apart from Daley in the second quarter after going on a 12-0 run and making consecutive stops on defense. The Bulldogs were held to only 13 points going into halftime. Daley continued their offensive struggles after halftime and did not score the entire third quarter.

Sophomore guard Iwiyisi Osaghae started the season strong and led the team by finishing the night with 13 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Osaghae believed the team played well and looks forward to the new season.

“Today, we played very good and hustled to play good defense,” said Osaghae. “My goal for this season overall is to just keep getting better as an individual and as a team.”

Freshman guard Autumn Rohde brought energy to the group, scoring 10 points, four assists, and five rebounds in the win against the Bulldogs. Rohde was impressed by her team’s efforts to move the ball and communicate as a team during their season opener.

“We moved the ball pretty well for our first game, and we really showed out by talking and moving the ball as a team,” said Rohde. “We all worked well as a team today, so I hope everyone has their eye out on us this year. We’ve been working on team bonding this year, and hopefully we can go farther this season compared to last year.”

Sophomore center Savannah Anderson held down the paint by scoring four points and securing nine rebounds. Anderson was not fully satisfied with her performance and will focus on getting better as the season progresses.

“We were excited today to come out here and get our reps in and see what we need to work on as a team,” said Anderson. “I think that I can always get better no matter where I am in any type of situation because I am always looking to improve.”

The Chaparrals will take on Sauk Valley Community College at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 in Dixon, Ill.