The College of DuPage women's basketball team traveled to Palatine to take on the Harper College Hawks on Tuesday, Feb. 10 for a Region 4 contest. Despite only scoring four fourth quarter points, the Chaparrals' strong first half had built enough of a lead to secure a narrow 45-44 victory. 

The Chaps' defense in the first twenty minutes was particularly strong, holding the Hawks to eight points in the first quarter and six more in the second period. Offensively, Jamie Hasemann and Erin Brown each scored multiple baskets in the first quarter. An Ayaani Gusman three-pointer was the big shot in a 14-point first quarter. In the second, Gusman knocked down another long basket while Lexi Lopez and Aneibi Farias Olaguez added makes to bring COD a 26-14 halftime lead.

The Hawks made adjustments at the break, rattling off a 17-point quarter. However, their defense wasn't clean, allowing five different Chaps to get to the free-throw line. Collectively in the quarter, COD went nine-for-ten, while Hasemann added two more field goals. 

Baskets from Brown and Olaguez were the only scoring for DuPage in a slow fourth quarter, but the Chaps held on just enough to preserve the victory on the road.

"This was a tough game for us and we had trouble on the offensive side...not getting a lot of shot attempts or scoring," said Coach Kristin Ison. "Thankfully, our defense has remained solid and we were able to make stops when they counted. I'm proud of the girls for getting it done tonight."

Gusman's 12 points and Hasemann's 10 were the only double-digit finishes for DuPage, while Lopez followed with nine. 

COD (8-19) continues the season inside PEC Arena on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. against Kankakee Community College. COD won the first matchup between the two programs back in 2022 but has lost the last two meetings, including a nine-point loss last year, 59-50.