Following a difficult 92-70 loss to Harvard last Saturday night, the Big Green are hoping to regroup and come out strong tonight at 6:30 p.m. in front of a home crowd at Leede Arena against powerhouse University of Massachusetts.
Against the Crimson, Harvard's stellar style of play was too much for the Big Green to keep up with, as their record fell to 7-3 overall, 0-1 in the Ivy League.
Dartmouth shot 10 for 24 in the first half, making only 40 percent of its shots compared to Harvard's 60 percent. Harvard's star forward Allison Feaster controlled most of the offensive boards for the Crimson, and Dartmouth's turnovers prohibited the Big Green from scoring.
Several Dartmouth players scored in double figures -- Gyvonne Pinkston '99 had 14 points, Jen Stamp '96 collected 18 and Sally Annis '97 put in 13.
"We allowed too many shots in the paint," Pinkston said. "A couple times we should've taken control and worked the ball through to the weak side. Harvard shot and rebounded under their goal, and had the opportunity to work the ball back in for the easy two."
The score was 49-30 at the half, and Dartmouth was determined to come back and even the score. But Harvard kept its shooting spree going, and the Big Green could not recover. Feaster rounded out the game with a whopping 21 points and eleven rebounds, which was too much for Dartmouth to handle.
Several times in the second half Dartmouth looked as though they were regaining momentum, with steals by Stamp, Bess Tortolani '98, and Nicci Rinaldi '99. Though Dartmouth had sparks of finesse, Harvard did not budge.
"We had a lot of breakdowns during the game which contributed to our loss," Pinkston said. "I don't think it was one particular play or mistake which caused us to lose the game. The support was there from the team and from our fans; it was just a game where we tried to adjust to the flow and make something happen."
Stamp said, "I think we were surprised by their defensive intensity. We gave up way too many easy baskets and weren't smart or patient on offense. It was the reverse of what happened last year, except fortunately this game was not for the NCAA bid."
Some felt this game was a pay-back of sorts, after last year when Dartmouth crushed Harvard in Cambridge, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
"We're a young team and they gave us a clinic in every aspect of the game," Stamp said. "Hopefully we'll learn something from it, show some character, and bounce back in our next games."
The Big Green's ability to put the past behind them will be tested tonight against UMass, as the Big Green will work towards redeeming what was once theirs -- the Ivy title.
