In his opening statement, UConn head coach Dan Hurley noted that DePaul’s culture is changing and that there is a real atmosphere building at Wintrust Arena. I followed up and asked what surprised him most about this DePaul team in year one under Chris Holtmann:

If this was just the opener, we can't wait for the rest of the season 🤭 Ally Timm's eight triples against Valpo is tied for second in the program's single-game records!

Pressuring the ball! Dion Brown records the Defensive Play of the Game against SEMO. Presented by @rottlerpest

Time to talk about Natiah Nelson 🔥 - 13 points - 15 rebounds - 75% FG PCT - first career double-double

First win as permanent HC for Coach P ‼️

Ally Timm caught up with the ESPN+ crew following her 28-point performance!

Ally Timm on her career-high 28-point outing in a 92-54 defeat of Valparaiso, including eight made triples: “I’m super excited, like coach Jill said it’s the start to a new season. I was just super excited to be able to get out there and play with my teammates, feed off

BLUE DEMONS WIN!

FINAL: DePaul 92 - Valpo 54 Tale of two halves as DePaul shot 16-50 in 1H and 23-38 in 2H. Ally Timm with 28 points, four steals, two boards and two assists. Nelson with 13 points, 15 boards and four assists. Novik with 19 points, six assists, three blocks and three steals.

Freshman Gina Davorija and redshirt sophomore Faith Okorie are both on the board with two points. Each score their first points as Blue Demons. Sumer Lee goes down HARD and will be heading to the line for two. Splits the pair and DePaul is now up 90-52 with 2:13 to play.

This game has quickly become a lopsided affair for the Blue Demons, as the team is on a 20-6 run with roughly half of 4Q left to play. 28 points for Timm. 19 points and six assists for Novik. 13 points and 15 boards for Nelson. Faith Okorie checks in. 83-47 DePaul

Lost in a flashy career night for Timm is the fact that Novik has 16 points of her own. The junior from Belarus has also notched six assists, three boards, three steals and two blocks.

Ally Timm a laughable 8-10 from deep as the redshirt freshman has now amassed 28 points. Three consecutive triples for DePaul as Kate Novik also has a make from beyond the arc early on in the fourth quarter. 74-47 DePaul at 7:39 4Q

63-41 DePaul at the conclusion of the third quarter. Blue Demons shot 11-21 from the floor as the offense has found a rhythm.

Natiah Nelson notches her first collegiate double-double. 11 points and 13 boards to go with three assists, two steals and a block. SEVEN of her rebounds are offensive. 59-41 DePaul at 1:18 3Q

Timm with her sixth made three-pointer of the night. Now up to 22 points. 51-36 DePaul at 5:24 3Q

Justis Odom tagged with her third foul at 6:18 3Q. Valparaiso’s Kayla Preston drains both free throws. 48-36 DePaul

Valpo calls timeout at 6:39 3Q after a Kate Novik steal leads to a Nelson layup. Nelson with nine points plus 10 boards. One point away from her first-ever collegiate double-double, and four points from a career-high. Previous career high in rebounds was seven. 48-34 DePaul

8-2 burst for DePaul out of the half as the Blue Demons now lead 46-34. Timm with back-to-back triples as the redshirt freshman now has 19 points. Shooting 5-7 from beyond the arc. 7:11 3Q

HALF: DePaul 38 - Valpo 32 Redshirt freshman Ally Timm has a game-high 13 points on 5-9 shooting. The rest of the team? Just 11-41 from the field in the opening 20. Sophomore Natiah Nelson with seven points and eight rebounds. Blue Demons forced 19 Valparaiso turnovers.

Ojo called for her second foul at 2:48 2Q. Justis Odom checks in to replace her. DePaul shooting 11-32 from two-point range so far in this one. 33-30 DePaul