It was such a good loss that it seemed like a win.
Last night the Dartmouth women's basketball team gave the University of Massachusetts a runaround, by playing tough defense and giving them a bit of a scare. But in the end, the Big Green were unable to pull off the upset, as they fell to UMass 71-56,
The loss dropped Dartmouth's record 7-4 and boosted UMass, which recently defeated nationally ranked Stanford, to 8-4.
UMass came out strong in the first half, shooting 60 percent from the floor and grabbing 18 rebounds. Dartmouth held its own, though, thanks to record-breaker Sally Annis '97.
With 12 minutes left in the first half, Annis broke Dartmouth's all-time three-point record, by making her 76th three-point shot. Annis shot 5-13 from three-point land and ended with an outstanding 19 points on the night.
UMass's quick style and strong inside shooters enabled the team to benefit from offensive rebounds in the first half. Dartmouth, however, stayed in the game with three-point shots by Annis, Bess Tortolani '98 and Jen Stamp '96.
Stamp followed Annis in scoring by picking up 10 for the Big Green.
"Offensively, we were very smart," Coach Chris Weilgus said. "We had a clean game, and we moved the ball very well. We took good shots and made them, and really shut UMass down offensively."
Yet despite the Big Greens' efforts, Dartmouth trailed 36-20 going into halftime.
Senior co-Captain Kira Lawrence played a stellar game in the paint, with eight rebounds, five of which were offensive.
"Kira plays with a lot of heart," Weilgus said. "She is a great passer, and she never throws the ball away. We needed that tonight."
Freshman Gyvonne Pinkston added to Lawrence's defensive efforts, picking seven off the boards for the Big Green, who ended with 31 total rebounds.
After a disappointing and devastating loss to Harvard last weekend, the Big Green were pleased with a much improved performance.
"We all passed the ball really well tonight," Lawrence said. "Our defense was also strong and helped us gain control when we needed it. After our loss to Harvard this past weekend, we wanted to tighten up our defense. I think we did that."
The excitement continued in the second half when Dartmouth's 15-point comeback started to become a reality.
Katie Samuelson '97 swooshed a three-pointer with 12 minutes to go, making the score 44-38, UMass. Annis made another three with 10:42 left in the game, to nudge the score up another three points, 47-41.
"The turning point was when Katie came in," Weilgus said. "The pace picked up, and Sally contributed greatly to that intensity.
Annis "was able to get the ball on the wing a lot because forwards like Kira and Gyvonne would kick it out to her," she said.
The return to Leede Arena proved refreshing for the Big Green.
"We definitely used our home-court advantage," Weilgus said. "The big challenge now is to play hard on the road."
The Big Green will have a chance to prove to themselves and to the League that they can travel and win, as the Dartmouth women prepare for a road trip to Columbia and then to Cornell this weekend.
Friday's match-up against the Lions could be somewhat lopsided: Columbia failed to win a game last season, finishing in the League cellar. But the Lions will hope to use their home court advantage to test the Big Green.
Cornell's record last year was also unimpressive, as the Big Red finished second to last in the League. But with rookie coach Marnie Dacko, Cornell will hope to improve upon last season.
With two back-to-back road games, the Big Green will just begin to feel the crunch this hectic winter season will place on them. But after an impressive performance last night, Dartmouth is optimistic about the future.
"I think this game proved that we're not going to play scared against a ranked team, even though we lost to them," Lawrence said. "The Harvard game set us back, but tonight we got our confidence back. With a young team like ours, that is the most important key to success."
Ivy League competition will resume for the women, as the Big Green travel to Columbia Friday and continue on to Cornell Saturday.