With 3:45 remaining Wednesday night and the score 66-56 in the University of Vermont's favor, Leon Pattman '07 took control. Putting a nifty move on his would-be defender, the Memphis man-child spotted up from the top of the key. Make that 66-59.
Jump ahead 55 seconds. Pattman -- with his back to the hoop -- spins around, double-clutches, and the kiss off the glass makes it 66-61. So sweet.
Old men were cheering, college students were stomping and little kids were squealing in excitement. Every missed shot drew a collective grown and each nice play left Big Green fans breathless. Alumni Gym was on fire. That's right -- a Dartmouth basketball game actually felt like a basketball game.
But an energized crowd and a surge of momentum is not always enough. To come back against a talented group like the UVM Catamounts (10-5, 6-0 America East), even the most inspired team needs a couple breaks. Dartmouth just did not get them.
When Mike Lang '06, finally back from a stint on the injured list, blocked Vermont's T.J. Sorrentine with 2:19 on the clock, the misdirected ball fell directly into the hands of Taylor Coppenrath. Standing under the basket and unguarded, Coppenrath -- the fourth leading scorer in the nation -- tossed in the easy lay-up and stretched the Catamount lead back to seven.
However, the Big Green was not finished. After a quick time-out, the man-child received the inbounds pass, dribbled to the foul line, pulled up and threw a bullet to a streaking David Gardner '05, who fought through traffic and banked in two more points.
Coppenrath would answer again. When Dartmouth tried to cut the Vermont lead back to five, the magic ran out. With 1:00 left and the score 70-63, Pattman's 15-footer fell short. UVM quickly capitalized, extending their advantage to nine. Though Gardner came back with a clutch three-point play, time simply ran out on the Big Green.
Four Catamount foul shots later, and the University of Vermont escaped Hanover with a 76-66 victory.
Down 20-10 in the first half and in danger of letting UVM pull away, Scott Klingbeil -- Dartmouth's 6'11" junior -- banked in a 10-foot jump-shot and followed it up with rejection on the defensive end. The back-to-back plays cut the Dartmouth deficit to eight and spurred the Big Green back into contention. Riding Pattman's career day, Dartmouth would pull within one before a pair of three's from Vermont's Martin Klimes made the score 37-30. At the end of the half, Dartmouth trailed 39-32.
In the second half, Klingbeil's presence was felt again. Showing nice touch from the outside and blocking several shots under the rim, Klingbeil provided the spark that kept Dartmouth in the game, though Pattman and Gardner brought the offense.
Although it was in a losing effort, Gardner contributed 14 points while Pattman totaled a career high of 29. As this freshman continues to improve and Dartmouth begins to come together as a team, the Big Green, now 3-12, will start winning these close games and make a lot of noise in the Ivy League.
This Friday, Dartmouth takes on visiting Hartford in its last non-conference game of the year. The Hawks are 6-8 overall. Do not be surprised if they leave Hanover 6-9.
