All season long, the 13 players on the women's basketball team faced challenge after challenge. But after Penn upset Princeton to force a one-game Ivy tiebreaker, they face their most important challenge of the year -- a battle for a ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
During the season, the Dartmouth women overcame several bouts of tough luck as they dropped three tight games, one of which was to Harvard on a half-court, buzzer-beating shot. And they survived.
The Big Green swept the last three games of the regular season and their prayers were answered when Penn defeated Princeton on Wednesday.
As a result, the Big Green tied Princeton with an 11-3 Ivy record and captured its 12th Ivy League title, the most in the league.
Now, their five-month pursuit of a postseason spot comes down to a single contest. Tomorrow at 4 p.m., the Big Green (18-8 Overall) takes on the co-Ivy champ Princeton Tigers (16-10) on a neutral court at Yale University, to fight for the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
"Either way, we are co-champs of the Ivy League and that feels pretty special," junior guard Courtney Banghart '00 said. "But, next is a trip to the NCAA's ... and we want that bad."
As it has been all season long, defense will be the key to a Big Green victory.
"Saturday is going to be a challenge," Dartmouth Head Coach Chris Wielgus said. "It's been our defense that has come through for us throughout the year, and we are going to have to play great defense on Saturday. Princeton can shoot and we are going to have to make them work for every shot."
Dartmouth's leading scorer and three-point specialist Banghart agreed.
"Championships come down to defense ... if we can play solid defense for 40 minutes, we will be fine, and on our way to the NCAA's," Banghart said.
Banghart also leads the team in steals.
Despite climbing the Ivy ladder in the final weekend of play to force a tiebreaker, the Big Green will be the favorites tomorrow afternoon.
Dartmouth has beaten Princeton twice during the season, 69-61 in Hanover on Feb. 6, and an astonishing 64-40 on the road Feb.19.
At home in early February, Dartmouth used a strong first half to build a seven-point lead at the break behind the sharpshooting of Banghart who concluded the game 4-for-6 from beyond the arc for a total of 18 points.
In the game in New Jersey, the Big Green trailed the Tigers by a score of 35-32 at the intermission, but turned up their intensity on defense in the second stanza to outscore Princeton by an amazing 32-5.
That evening, Dartmouth committed only eight turnovers to Princeton's 18.
In addition, the Big Green's three losses in the Ivies this season are only by 2, 3 and 4 points deficits.
"We're going to come out on fire Saturday, play our hearts out, and prove to this world once and for all who the best team in the Ivy League truly is," forward Erin Rewalt '99 who leads the Green in rebounds.
The playoff game was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, but the NCAA Tournament selection committee made a formal request Thursday morning for the game to be changed to 4 p.m. Both teams agreed to the change.
Ticket prices will be $3 for Dartmouth students with an ID. The ticket office will be selling tickets today from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and again tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
They will also be sold at the Yale University ticket office prior to the game if the game is not sold out.
The athletic department is sponsoring fan buses, which will depart from Berry Center at 12 p.m. on Saturday and then return to Hanover following the game.
Sign-ups for the buses are taking place on a first-come, first-serve basis in the intercollegiate athletics office, located in Room 106 of Alumni Gym on Friday until 6 p.m. and from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday morning.
The Big Green women will depart from campus at around 2 p.m. Friday, then they will practice in New Haven on Friday night from 6-7:30 p.m.
"These kids love playing and we are thrilled to have a chance to play another game," Wielgus said. "We can't wait to play. It should be an unbelievable game ... this is the stuff that you dream about as a kid."
"We will be ready," Banghart said.
