On Monday night, the Dartmouth men's basketball team squared off against an athletic and disciplined Colgate squad at Leede Arena before a sparse, but rambunctious, crowd. The Big Green opened the game with an 11-3 run, creating scoring opportunities off of Colgate turnovers and fouls. However, the Big Green's offense soon went dry as Colgate climbed back into the game, taking advantage of the match-up with their more athletic guards.
By utilizing a quick transitions and exploiting Dartmouth turnovers, Colgate managed to take a 22-14 lead by the middle of the first half. However, Mike Lang '06 kept Dartmouth in the game with his downtown shots as he nailed two threes from behind the arc in the exact same spot, followed by a pull-up 17-foot jumper. Despite this, as the half came to a close, the basket seemed to open up for Colgate, which could do no wrong down the stretch.
With the Colgate offensive spurt, Dartmouth's own offense became sloppy as they stopped feeding the ball inside and started settling for quick outside shots. With 41 seconds left to go in the half, Colgate's Andrew Zidar capped off a Colgate 12-2 run during which Dartmouth's only points came off a goaltending call. Going into the break, Dartmouth was down big, 39-27, but with the Hanover crowd at its back, a Big Green comeback was inevitable.
Coming out of the half, Dartmouth used a strong defense to wipe the boards clean and hold Colgate scoreless for the first 5:20 of the half. David Gardner '05 and Lang each scored, giving Dartmouth its only four points during the third period.
Dartmouth managed to get back on defense more quickly after the first half, forcing Colgate to change its offensive strategy. Colgate utilized Alvin Reed, who notched a double-double with 23 points and 10 boards, and Jon Simon to drive the lane and force open seams in Dartmouth's vulnerable defense.
As Colgate extended the lead to 49-38 by the 11:43 mark, Dartmouth became much less patient in their offensive set and began settling for quick outside shots. Lacking strong shooters, baskets became few and far between. Only when the ball was fed inside to Gardner and Calvin Arnold '06 did Dartmouth manage to record some points and get some offensive momentum.
As the game progressed and Dartmouth became increasingly frustrated with Colgate's driving offense, the Big Green started committing careless fouls and needless turnovers. By the last three minutes, Colgate had amassed a 13-point lead. Dartmouth's only scoring came either off of rebounds or when the team managed to beat Colgate off the dribble. Committing late fouls to stop the clock and extend the game, Ivy League player of the week Michael McLaren '05 and captain Steve Callahan '05 both fouled out. Colgate managed to come away with a 69-61 win, as Dartmouth never let the game fully get out of its hands until the very end.
Dartmouth will face Columbia in New York two Saturdays from now as they enter the Ivy League season with hopes of stealing the Ancient Eight title and a berth in the NCAA tourney this March.
