Successful basketball teams need to rebound well. The Dartmouth women's team did just that this weekend.
The Big Green out-rebounded Hofstra 49-22 on Saturday en route to a 63-60 victory. On Sunday, Dartmouth used a 42-31 advantage on the boards to stomp Central Connecticut 68-50.
The Big Green rebounded well in another sense, too. The tough back-to-back road wins helped erase any lingering memories of last Tuesday's dreadful 74-46 loss to Rhode Island in Leede Arena.
The wins upped Dartmouth's record to 8-6 overall and 3-0 in the Ivy League.
Green down Hofstra, 63-60
Ilsa Webeck '94 led the way for the Big Green on Saturday in Hempstead, N.Y. The 6-foot-4 center had a monster afternoon, with 24 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Webeck's 14 first-half points helped give Dartmouth a 34-25 lead at intermission. The Big Green could not extend that lead in the opening minutes of the second half, however, and Hofstra eventually fought its way back into the game.
With 6:26 to play, a Hofstra jumper tied the game for the first time since the opening seconds. A three-pointer by Katie Samuelson '97 gave the Big Green a 53-50 lead, but Hofstra matched that with a three of their own with 5:06 remaining.
That was as close as Hofstra would get. Dartmouth pulled away in the final minutes, thanks to some clutch free throw shooting by Kira Lawrence '96 and Sally Annis '97. Annis made two foul shots with five seconds left on the clock to seal the 63-60 win.
Betsy Gilmore '94 had a terrific game, scoring only two points but adding six rebounds, nine assists and seven steals in 40 minutes.
Green beat Central Conn, 68-50
The Big Green used a balanced attack to win on Sunday afternoon in New Britain, Connecticut. Dartmouth raced out to a 34-21 halftime lead and never looked back.
Gilmore led the Big Green with a career-high 14 points, and added seven assists, five steals and two blocked shots. Webeck had her seventh double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Brandi Jones '95 contributed 11 points and nine assists, and Lawrence had 10 points and seven rebounds. Samuelson scored seven, and Annis and Laurie Stucker '95 each had six.
Freshman walk-on Jessica Hill saw her first minutes of the season and responded with two points.
