With last night's 81-73 win against Siena, the Dartmouth women's basketball team showed exactly why they were ranked number two in the Ivy League preseason polls.
Key plays by freshman Gyvonne Pinkston and Sally Annis '97 enabled the women to tie the game in regulation and dominate the five minute overtime.
Siena led by one at the half when the score was 40-39, but Dartmouth came back in the second half with several players scoring in double figures. Jen Stamp '96 racked in 12 points, while sophomore Bess Tortolani scored 15 points.
"We really worked the ball in the second half," Tortolani said. "We slowed it down, took good shots, and looked to the open person."
"We made a lot of adjustments and extended the court in the second half," Coach Chris Weilgus said. "In overtime we just kept the momentum up. There was intensity on the court and we played extremely well. It was an exciting game."
The Big Green showed character as they outscored Siena 13-6 in overtime to up Dartmouth's record to 8-2 on the season as the Big Green head into Ivy competition.
After a disappointing 44-65 loss to Boston College early in November, the Big Green have rebounded with six straight wins, three of which came during their winter trip to Louisiana.
"I think we played as poorly as we've ever played at BC," Wieglus said. "There was just not much we could do. It was a matter of intensity and flow. But we came back and beat a UNH team that later beat BC."
Part of the Big Green's problem was that the team had to break for finals, putting it four to five games behind other teams.
"I think we are somewhat disadvantaged because we had a big spell where we didn't have any games because of finals and winter break," Nicole Galanek '97 said. "With so many freshmen, experience is very important. The more we play, the better we get.
In Louisiana, the young Big Green squad learned to play together better which resulted in three wins.
"We had a little spell where we struggled some, but with the Louisiana trip, things really started to pick up," Galanek said. "I feel more confident in the team, and I think we all feel more confident in each other."
Wieglus said, "We have had a stuttered start. You get going and then you have to stop. It takes a while to adapt. I think we are now getting into the flow and developing a style on the court."
That style has resulted in more team unity and consistent play.
"I definitely feel we've progressed a lot," Galanek said. "The freshman have been blending in with the rest of the team better with each game. They are a big part of the team. They are all good, solid players, and more and more you can see their talent coming out. We are all definitely starting to get a feel for each other, especially with our passing.
Rebounding still has remained a problem for the Big Green who, with only two players over six foot lack some height.
"We need to work on boxing out better," Jen Pariseau '97 said. "We're a short team, and we haven't dominated any of the boards in our games. We also need to get a little more consistent. We tend to play really well for five minutes and then let up. Against tough teams though we have to be ready to play the whole game."
The Big Green defense, however, has remained steady, limiting all of its winter trip opponents to under 50 points.
"Our defense has been great," Pariseau said. "We've been playing really intense and keeping other team's percentages very low. We also have had really good passing. We complement each other well and see each other and work well with each other. There are no selfish players on the team."
The tough defense has created for other opportunities on the court.
"Our defense is very good. They are playing well, and because of our good defense, then the offense flows. It's a matter that the defense triggers the offense."
With days spent on the bus and nights spent sleeping in hotels, the Big Green did learn the adversities of traveling, which may come in handy as the season progresses.
"The trip was fun," Wieglus said. "They learned what it is like to travel and play, which is what you need to know when playing in the north country."
Pariseau said, "It was tough being on the road. All we did was eat, sleep and travel. It was a test, but we did really well. It's nice to be back in front of the home crowd again. We feed off them. I think we are ready and excited to start Ivy League play again."
With the trip experience, the Big Green are optimistic about the future.
"We're very psyched for the upcoming season," Galanek said. "All these past games are basically a prep for the Ivy League. They give us the game experience we will need."
With five games scheduled for the next two weeks, the Dartmouth women will be busy, but at the same time they are looking forward to the consistent play.
"Now is when we finally start playing consistently so we can take things game to game," Jill Marple '97 said. "There won't be those long breaks between games. I think we're definitely starting to get use to playing with each other. We are finally starting to complement each other on the court."
The team connection has come just in time as the Big Green prepare for their ultimate rival -- Harvard. Dartmouth battles the Crimson Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in Cambridge.
"I never try to look ahead," Wieglus said. "I like to take one game at a time. We need to continue to work on rebounding, getting the ball inside and a balanced attack. We will also always want to tinker with the offense and defense throughout the season."
The Big Green will just look to continue the momentum they've gained through the past few weeks.
"It has been very exciting," Pariseau said. "After losing four starters from last season, a lot of people did not have very high expectations from us. They thought it would take us a while to put such a young team together.
"The new players have adapted great though," Pariseau added. "It's exciting to see how we've blended together so quickly and so well. It's so encouraging."
"I'm really optimistic. We've been getting better and better with every game. I'm delighted with the progress."
We are a young team not only chronologically but also in the fact that four of our top six graduated last year. Therefore, our 'veterans' are new in the sense that their roles our changing. They have adapted well though.
There are so many different things we can do. There are a lot of variables, and its fun trying to get all of them to work together.
Jill Marple
We had a definite problem rebounding and a problem with turnovers. Because we're young, we were a very edgy at first. We need to tame some of us down. It just comes with getting used to playing with each other though. We just really need to learn to work together and that comes with game experience.
Our defense and our overall aggression on the court have been our strengths. We hustle well and do the little things that can control the tempo of the game.
Nicole
We are passing really well. We've really been working on feeding off each other's strengths. We try to play to each person's best aspect on the court.
