In the realm of women's Ivy basketball, it's been Harvard on top all season long.
And Tuesday night was no different as the Crimson capped off their perfect 14-0 Ivy season with a 85-67 win over the Big Green. It was Harvard's 26th straight Ivy League victory.
The game, which was played in front of a crowd of 814 at Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, was the final regular-season game for both teams.
Harvard had previously claimed their second-consecutive Ivy League title with a 60-36 victory over Yale on Friday. The Crimson will represent the Ivy League in the NCAA Tournament later this month.
Dartmouth closed out the season 13-13 overall, 8-6 Ivy -- good enough for third place in the final league standings.
"It was a tough game and Harvard just played awesome," Courtney Banghart '00 said. "We went out with a lot of heart and a lot of fight."
Harvard kicked off the action with a quick four-point lead in the first minute as forward Suzie Miller and guard Alison Seanor each drove to the hoop for layups.
The Big Green's Bess Tortolani '98 responded at the other end as she scored off the glass on the next two possessions. In between, Seanor sank two points for the Crimson.
The two-point Dartmouth deficit at the 18:20 mark was the smallest of the night as Harvard's Allison Feaster and Jessica Gelman went on to spike the Crimson lead with a barrage of jumpers and bombs from beyond the arc.
Harvard's biggest lead of the opening half came at the 3:46 mark when Feaster came up with the steal at midcourt and dished it to Seanor for the easy lay-up.
Still, the Big Green managed to pull back to within single digits as Banghart drained a long-range bucket to bring Dartmouth to within eight.
At the half, Harvard had a 41-33 lead -- compliments of Feaster's 17-point performance in the first 20 minutes.
In the second stanza, the Crimson hit the court running as they blew the lead to 18 off a 10-0 run in the opening 3:20. Gelman nailed two of her four treys during that streak.
With 13 minutes left, Dartmouth tried to rally back as Nicci Rinaldi '99 snagged a Harvard pass and dished it to Erin Rewalt '99 for the two-point play.
But the 12-point difference would drop no further as Gelman nailed two back-to-back threes to stifle any hopes of a Big Green comeback.
With 00:02 left on the clock, Seanor took a Feaster pass to the hoop to raise the Crimson lead to an evening-high 20. The Harvard bench exploded as the team took a technical foul for a premature celebration.
The Big Green's Jill Marple '97 then toed the free-throw line to sink her final two baskets of her Dartmouth career.
Banghart led the Big Green with 14 points on the night.
In the end, the Crimson proved why they were crowned Ivy Champs and why they're the ones going to the Big Dance.
Feaster tallied the only double-double of the night with a game-high 26 points and 18 rebounds. Shooting 4-for-5 from long-distance, Gelman tapped in 16 points for the Crimson.
"Successfully defending our title was challenging, rewarding, and emotional," Harvard's Gelman said.
Save for the title claim, the same could be said on behalf of the Big Green.
How challenging was the season for the Big Green? As challenging as facing nationally ranked scoring leaders like Feaster and Brown's Vita Redding.
How rewarding was the season for the Big Green? As rewarding as a Yale-Brown sweep in their final home games.
And how emotional was the season for the Big Green? As emotional as the final shots by seniors Sally Annis, Jill Marple and Jen Pariseau.
For the Big Green, Friday's loss marked the end of a roller coaster season -- you know, the type of season that's full of highs and lows, but has just enough highs to keep a team smiling and having fun.
"It's been an up and down season but all along, our coaches and fans have been so supportive," Banghart said. "It's really been wonderful."
Friday's loss also signaled a new beginning for Big Green basketball.
"Seeing Harvard cut down the nets after the game really touched me so deep," Banghart said. "I think it made us want next year's title even more."
Sure, Banghart and company have got three more years to claim a title for the Big Green. But for them, next year may be the time to take home the crown.
