Tonight the Big Green will try to break their two-game losing streak against local mammals when they take on the Maine Black Bears at 7:30 in Leede Arena.
The first mammalian encounter was quite a scrap, but the Vermont Catamounts (short for cat of the mountains) clawed the Big Green to ascend to the perch suggested by their name.
The second adversary, the New Hampshire Wildcats, also pounced on Dartmouth 87-60. Wildcats Matt Alosa and Scott Drapeau each scored 25 points on nine of 18 shooting and six free throws.
Fortunately, the Big Green have finished playing feline teams and will attempt to do better against the Black Bears.
The Black Bear is typically quite formidable, but may not have had enough time to hibernate this year. The sluggish Bears are 5-11 and faltering, having recently chased but missed five out of their last six prey.
Northeastern was the latest to escape, although not only did it escape, it counterattacked fiercely, gouging the Bears 83-66. But it was only a flesh wound. The Bears have healed by now and will plod into Leede Arena in a black mood, hoping to exact revenge for earlier slights.
The Big Green will need to work hard to defend against the Bears's raw power, unactualized as of yet. Dartmouth unsuccessfully defended against the Wildcats's assault last week, but illness and injuries had left the Big Green undermanned. Jacob Capps '96 was ill, Brian Gilpin '97 left the game after only 11 minutes and Kenny Mitchell '97 was limited because of ankle trouble.
"With Jake's illness, Brian's leg injury, and my ankle not being at full strength, the team lost some of its better defenders," Mitchell said. "Brian is one of our most formidable defenders in the post, while Jake and I are solid defenders on the perimeter."
Although Mitchell has not recovered completely, Gilpin and Capps are better and the team should be in good shape for Tuesday night's extravaganza.
Keith Stanton '97 said the team has tried to put the New Hampshire debacle behind it, working hard in practice and preparing itself for the rigorous upcoming schedule.
"We have concentrated mainly on [the] Dartmouth style of play, which is ... a relentless fight on defense and patience and execution on offense," Stanton said.
Maine's most dangerous weapon is point guard Casey Arena, who averages 17.4 points per game. Top defender Sea Lonergan '97 will be sure to stick him, allowing the Big Green to release their own Arena, Leede Arena.
The Leede crowd will be ecstatic to see a Dartmouth victory after witnessing three losses in the past four games.
The players agree that this game will be a crucial one for Dartmouth. Kenny Mitchell said the team needed to win to gain some momentum.
Stanton agreed, saying "it is this game that will give our team the lift [it needs]." P.J. Halas '98 added "a win will give us a huge boost heading into the Ivy League weekends we have coming up."
With a win over the Bears, the Big Green will have faith in their ability to beat mammals. This will be vital in the next three weekends when the Big Green face off against Lions, Tigers and Bears (oh my!).
