"Sweep" was the catchword this weekend, as the Big Green took two on the road from Brown and Yale for the first time in 25 years. With another sweep over Cornell and Columbia next weekend, the Big Green could take over second place in the Ivies.
Dartmouth 65, Brown 63
In Friday's Brown game, the Big Green overcame a 31-20 halftime deficit to prevail, 65-63. The tight ending evoked memories of Dartmouth's first match-up against the Bears, when the Big Green pulled it out in the final seconds, 71-70.
In this nail-biter, Dartmouth led, 62-60, with a scant 25 seconds left. With Brown forced to foul, Kenny Mitchell '97 dropped in a free throw, and soon after, Jacob Capps '96 added another, for a 64-60 lead. Brown kept things interesting, however, as off-guard Brian Lloyd (22 points) canned one from NBA range to draw the Bears within one.
This left Brown with eight seconds in which to work some magic. The Bears fouled Brian Gilpin ' 97 with a mere two seconds left, and the dominant sophomore hit one to up the lead to 65-63. Barely clinging to life, the Bears looked for their big gun, Lloyd, who had already scored an astounding eight points in the final minute. Eleven was not to be. Going for the win, Lloyd fired up a three that bounced off the rim, handing the victory to the Big Green.
After shooting nine for 26 in the first half for a 31-20 halftime deficit, the Big Green rallied in the second, outscoring Brown by 21-10 in the first 10 minutes. According to Coach Dave Faucher, the Big Green "picked up the intensity defensively" after intermission, while "doing the same things" on offense.
However, it was evident that the shots were dropping in the second much more than they did in the first. The Big Green hit on a whopping 70 percent of their shots, including nailing the bull's-eye on four of five threes. Sea Lonergan '97 hit two treys in succession to snap a tie at 46.
"Everyone just came together," Capps said. He said that the team was determined at halftime not to "let this one slip by."
Dartmouth 67, Yale 60
Against Yale, the Big Green jumped out to a 35-25 halftime lead and cruised from there. The final score of 67-60 was the closest the Elis got in the second half.
Gilpin was a marked man in the Yale game, "drawing a crowd" every time he touched the ball, according to Faucher. With the Yale defense keying on Gilpin, Dartmouth went to work outside, hitting nine of 16 threes. Capps hit three of four, while Jamie Halligan '95 connected on three of five. By comparison, the Big Green only attempted five treys the night before against Brown.
"Whatever they give you, you take," Faucher said, referring to opposing defenses. The Big Green did a good job of that especially against the Elis.
Against Brown, Lonergan was high-man with 25 and Gilpin chipped in 19. Against Yale, the steady Lonergan once again was high with 19, but Capps and Halligan added 19 and 17 of their own. "On different days, different people are feeling it," Capps said.
Because of Halligan's illness, seven-footer Chris Butler '97 started each of the games, combining with Gilpin to give Dartmouth a veritable "twin tower" combo.