After a three-game winning streak at the end of November, the Dartmouth women's basketball team looked forward to a successful season.
However, the month of December brought mixed results for the squad. Although the beginning of the month saw some tough opponents and several losses, the team began to pull out some wins as January -- along with the Ivy season -- approached.
Dartmouth 65, Northeastern 62
Though the Huskies enjoyed the lead during most of the game, the Big Green, down by 14, began a comeback with six minutes left in the second half. Dartmouth went on a 20-5 scoring run in these final minutes, securing the lead with 28 seconds left in the game for the win.
Katharine Hanks '03 played a major role in the comeback, scoring 12 of her 14 points in the second half. Courtney Banghart '00, who scored 19 points total, cut the Huskies' lead from five points to two by drawing a foul on a lay-up.
The Green went ahead on a Hanks jumper, and Banghart downed two more free throws to seal the victory.
Also putting in great efforts were Liz Martin '00 and Samantha Berdinka '01, who each scored 10 points.
Boston College 88, Dartmouth 52
The Eagles proved too strong an opponent for the Big Green as they built up a 24-point first half lead.
Dartmouth was able to make only 11 of 31 shots in the half, scoring 29 points to the Eagles' 53.
Katharine Hanks '03 scored 10 of these 29 points with five field goals, leading the team in scoring as it entered the second half.
The Big Green were unable to overcome the deficit in the second half, as Hanks was the only Dartmouth player to land more than two field goals. She finished the game with a team-high of 20 points.
Martin, with eight points, was the second highest scorer.
CS-Northridge 77, Dartmouth 55
The Big Green looked evenly matched against the Matadors in the beginning of the first half, with the lead going back-and-forth between the teams.
However, Northridge went on a 20-6 run in the last seven minutes of the first frame to enter the locker room with a 17-point lead. Dartmouth had made only nine of 33 field goals, resulting in 25 points at the half.
By the end of the game, the Matadors had out-rebounded Dartmouth 47-35, despite a career-high-tying eight rebounds for Stephanie Kinnear '01. Kinnear also contributed four assists and two blocks to the effort.
Martin led the scoring drive with 14 points, followed by Jackie Lippe '01. Lippe scored 10 points for the Green in spite of a sprained thumb on her shooting hand.
UCSB 102, Dartmouth 66
The Big Green entered the court on top of their game and ready to face the 23rd-ranked Gauchos. After seven minutes of the first half, the teams were even and the score was tied at 11 each.
Santa Barbara broke the tie with a 7-0 run, to which the Green responded with a four-minute, 17-0 run of their own to take the lead. That lead grew as high as 12 points, with Hanks scoring 14 points and Banghart scoring 12 in the first half.
The Gauchos tied up the score at 34, and at the break, they led Dartmouth by one point, 43-42.
Although the first half was close, the Gauchos exploded in the second frame, scoring 59 points to Dartmouth's 24. Kinnear scored a career-high 14 points for the Green.
Foul trouble hurt the squad as seven players gained three or more fouls, and one player fouled out of the game.
The Green went 14-for-30 in the first half, but were able to hit only seven of 28 shots in the second.
Wm. and Mary 79, Dartmouth 66
The Big Green dropped its fourth straight in the opener of the Blue Sky Restaurant Group/Dartmouth Women's Classic on Dec. 28.
Although Dartmouth faced a 34-29 deficit going into the second half, it was able to take the lead with a 6-0 run. However, the Tribe kept the game close, and took the lead for good with 13:18 to play in the game.
The Tribe's lead did not exit the single digits until the Big Green began fouling with about a minute left in the match.
Despite Hanks' 13 rebounds, Dartmouth was out-rebounded, 40-33, for the fifth game in a row.
The Big Green's high scorer for the game was Sherryta Freeman '01, who scored 13 points on 6 of 9 field goals. Martin also played a key role, scoring 12 points.
Banghart, though scoring only seven points, recorded her 200th career three-pointer. She also gave out eight assists and made five steals.
Dartmouth 80, Furman 61
Banghart led the Green by 18 points in the squad's win against Furman in the consolation game of the Hanover tournament.
Dartmouth played a strong first half, shooting 58.8 percent and opening a 48-23 lead by halftime.
Though the Green's shooting percentage went down to 29.6 percent in the second frame, their lead did not drop below 19 points for the remainder of the game.
Other key players included Hanks, Freeman and Martin, who scored 16, 14 and 12 points respectively.
Heather Hanson '03, who had 11 rebounds, led the team in rebounding, while Freeman and Kinnear each had nine. The three players all had career-highs.
Dartmouth 63, Hartford 62
The Big Green waited until the very end to wrest a victory out of the hands of the Hawks in this exciting matchup.
Banghart scored the winning jumper from six feet with five seconds to play in the game. This gave Dartmouth its third victory over Hartford and avenged a 64-61 loss during the 1998-99 season.
In the first half of the game, technical difficulties with the shot clock
forced a 12-minute game delay after the Green forced the Hawks to hold onto the ball too long.
The Hawks again violated the shot clock rule later on in the opening half.
Kinnear led scoring in the half with eight points, downing 50 percent of her field goals.
The Hawks got into foul trouble early in the half, but were still able to retain a 30-29 lead going into the second frame.
The game was even down to the wire, with Hartford tying it up on a three-pointer and taking the lead by one free throw. With 25 seconds left, the Green had possession of the ball and gave it to Banghart, who sunk the shot to win.
Kinnear contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds to the Green's effort. Hanks scored 13 points and Berdinka had 11 points, making five of seven field goals.
Dartmouth opens its Ivy play tonight at Harvard. This game will mark the first-ever nationally televised Ivy League women's basketball game, broadcasted on DirecTV at 7:30 p.m.
