Tomorrows game means a lot for the womens basketball team.
The Big Green look to break the .500 mark for the first time this season and put their untarnished Ivy League record - and their five-game winning streak - on the line.
Coach Chris Wielgus goes for her 150th career win.
And, oh yeah, they play Harvard.
"Whenever you play Harvard, its special," Wielgus said.
The Crimson have been a difficult team to figure out this season. Harvard was runner-up to league champion Brown last year and picked to finish in the same spot this year by the pre-season media poll, but has struggled early.
Injuries have decimated the squad and have contributed to their 2-10 start. Harvard is 0-2 in Ivy play, after last weekends 93-71 pounding by Penn and 69-56 loss to Princeton.
Still, the Crimson are dangerous. They feature an All-Ivy performer in junior forward Tammy Butler, who is among the league leaders in both scoring and rebounding. Senior guard Cara Frey led the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage last year. And freshman Jessica Gelman has been tapped for Rookie of the Week honors in the Ivy League twice.
"I have lots of respect for Harvard and their coach," Wielgus said. "I got a chance to play them when I was at Fordham, and theyre a good, balanced team. Im just happy we get them at home."
Thats where the Big Green has played some of their best basketball this season. Theyre 4-1 in Leede Arena, with their lone loss coming against Siena at the tail end of finals week back in December.
Two and a half weeks following that loss, the Big Green began its current tear by taking the championship of the Dartmouth Invitational in Leede Arena. Two home victories last weekend against Penn and Princeton, plus a road win at Boston University, have helped erase the memory of Dartmouths five-game losing streak that opened the season.
What has keyed this turnaround? Solid defense, for one. The Big Green pressured Princeton into a woeful 5-30 second half shooting performance last Friday. At the other end of the court, the Big Green are taking better care of the ball; they only turned the ball over 13 times against a good Penn team.
Individual players have also stepped up for Dartmouth. Ilsa Webeck 94 will be going for her fourth consecutive double-double in points and rebounds. The 6-4 center has been unstoppable in the last three games, averaging 18 points and 13.3 rebounds in that span.
Betsy Gilmore 94 has been the teams spark. Shes only scored 12 points total in the last three games, but has made huge contributions elsewhere with 18 assists and 13 steals. She sealed two close wins over Penn and Boston University with a pair of steals in the final minute.
But as well as the Dartmouth players are playing now, Wielgus thinks they can play even better.
"We have to get smoother on offense," she said. "We also have to play consistent for 40 minutes. Weve been putting ourselves into holes the past few games."
Still, there are a lot of reasons why shell take the final results.
