The Dartmouth women's basketball team deserved the same rush of pandemonium from the stands that the men's team received this weekend. No. There was no last second shot at the buzzer, but the intensity prevailed as the women defeated Pennsylvania and Princeton.
Nicci Rinaldi '99 sunk 23 points on Friday's contest versus Penn, giving Dartmouth a 75-61 victory. Then in New Jersey on Saturday, the Big Green tackled the Tigers, 70-62. The two wins boosts Dartmouth's record to 5-2 in the Ivy League, 13-6 overall.
Penn's record going into Friday's game was 0-18, so the expectations were not too high for the Quakers. Penn kept the pressure on Dartmouth throughout the first half, however, as Rinaldi had eleven points and Bess Tortolani '98 had 10.
(Coach) "Chris [Weilgus] told us that Penn's record didn't show what kind of team they were," Rinaldi said. "And, at this point in the season, we can't afford to take anyone lightly."
Jen Stamp '96 played her usual quick defense, grabbing three steals and having three assists by halftime. Still, Penn center Natasha Rezek racked up 15 points and kept Dartmouth on its toes.
Dartmouth surged ahead in the second half, with help from three-point shooters Tortolani and Rinaldi. Tortolani had three three-points shots, out of a total of 17 points in the night. Gyvonne Pinkston '99 helped out the Big Green lead with seven rebounds and six points.
"My teammates did a good job penetrating and then kicking the ball out to me at the perimeter," Rinaldi said. "My shot felt good, and I was really relaxed."
Saturday was a different story, as the Big Green faced Princeton, who carried a record of 4-2 in the League. But it was overwhelmingly Dartmouth's game from the start, as the Big Green began shooting and rebounding over the Tigers.
Katie Samuelson '97 provided a spark on Saturday with her soft touch three-pointers, she had two of them in the first half. Pinkston also stayed strong for the Big Green under the boards, as she has nine points and four rebounds.
"During the first half, the calls were going our way," Gyvonne Pinkston '99 said. "We knew at halftime that the momentum would change though. Our low-post defense was kind of hurting, but we continued to work on the inside. We held Dana Moore [Princeton center] to 15 points, which was really great for us."
Dartmouth virtually doubled Princeton's score in the first half, leading 30-16. Yet the Tigers came back in the second half, especially on the offense boards. The Big Green used their depth to dominate, with superb shooting by Sally Annis '97 (12 points), Pinkston and Samuelson with 11 and Tortolani with 16.
Stamp stayed hot on the stealing end of things, with three steals and four assists.
"After Friday night's game, where the officials were pretty erratic, we knew we had to beat Princeton," Rinaldi said. "They're a strong team and we really played well together. This weekend, everyone picked everyone else up when they needed it. It was an awesome 'team' weekend."
Dartmouth left victorious once again on Saturday, walking away with a 70-62 win over Princeton. The team now prepares for a few weekends at home, beginning this Friday at 6:30 p.m., against Cornell and Saturday versus Columbia.
