It's been a slow beginning for the Dartmouth women's basketball team this season. Despite some solid individual performances, the squad has faced a difficult non-league schedule and has only won one game thus far. Their 1-9 record is the worst start in the program's history.
However, the women have not yet faced any Ivy League opponents, and there is still hope of successfully defending last year's Ivy League championship.
UNH
Dartmouth traveled to meet UNH on Nov. 25. Katharine Hanks '03 and Jennifer Johnston '03 led Dartmouth with 17 and 10 points respectively, but the Wildcats, whose three leading scorers posted 25, 19 and 18 points, proved too much for the Big Green.
Though they never led in the game, Dartmouth stayed close in the first half by shooting 46.9 percent. Hanks netted 13 of her points in the first half, while Johnston put in eight of hers in the opening session.
At halftime, the score showed a 41-32 deficit for the Big Green. The team pulled closer in the second frame, closing to 43-40. However, UNH went on an 11-0 scoring run that put them out of reach for good. The Wildcats tallied an 81-58 victory.
UMass
On Nov. 28, Dartmouth faced Massachusetts on the road. Hanks put in 15 points for the game-high, and Katie Skelly '03 contributed 11 points, including three three-pointers, but the Minutewomen held their own for a 54-46 win.
Dartmouth fell behind in the first few minutes of the game 12-3. At halftime, the score was 37-16 in favor of UMass.
In the second half, Dartmouth recovered, holding UMass to only 4-of-21 shooting. The Big Green went on a 19-4 run at the end of the game, but time ran out on their comeback and they fell to 0-4.
Colgate
Dartmouth hosted Colgate on Dec. 9 and got their first win of the season, defeating the Red Raiders 64-55. Hanks led scoring, putting in 22 points in the team's first game after time off for final exams.
Dartmouth took the initiative in the game, playing hard in the first half for a 30-13 lead with five minutes to play. In those five minutes, however, Colgate went on an 11-0 run to shrink their halftime deficit to six.
In the second half, the Big Green went on a 10-3 scoring run of their own, ending with eleven minutes to play. Colgate would not go down easily, as they pulled within one after an 11-2 scoring run.
With five minutes left to play, Dartmouth took back the momentum. Skelly and Co-Captains Sherryta Freeman '01 and Stephanie Kinnear '01 scored consecutive baskets, and Johnston netted two baskets in the last minute to seal the Dartmouth victory.
Boston College
Dartmouth went on the road to meet Boston College on Dec. 12. Though Hanks scored a team-high 18 points, 24th-ranked BC ended up with the 84-56 win.
The Big Green took an early 7-1 lead, but couldn't hold on. Freeman gave Dartmouth a brief lead with a three-pointer, but the Eagles went on a 9-2 run to regain control. Dartmouth again pulled within one, but ended the half down by six.
The Dartmouth squad tied the score at 33 with a 6-0 run in the first minutes of the second half, but the Eagles pulled away again, scoring 27 points to Dartmouth's six in the final eight minutes of the game.
Georgia Tech
The Big Green headed south to play Georgia Tech on Dec. 17. Skelly led the team in scoring with 16 points, and tallied her first career double-double with 10 rebounds. However, with five Yellow Jackets sporting double figures, Georgia Tech dominated the game, and won by a 79-62 margin.
The Yellow Jackets held a lead the whole game, outshooting Dartmouth 43 percent to 24 percent in the first 20 minutes of play. At halftime, the scoreboard showed a 36-25 lead for Georgia Tech.
The second half was much of the same, with Georgia Tech leading by as much as 24 points. Hanks, though plagued by foul trouble, contributed 14 points, while Co-Captain Samantha Berdinka '01 put in 11 points. Skelly tied a team record by going 10-for-10 at the free-throw line.
Dartmouth was able to out rebound the Yellow Jackets 43-42, helped by Freeman's career-high 12 boards.
Georgia
Dartmouth rounded up its southern tour with a game against 4th-ranked Georgia on Dec. 18. Hanks and Berdinka led the team with 21 and 18 respective points, but the Lady Bulldogs dominated for the 110-73 win.
Georgia opened scoring with a 13-2 run. Dartmouth pulled to within 10 later in the half, but the halftime scoreboard showed a 58-38 lead for the Bulldogs after they outscored the Big Green 22-12 at the end of the first frame. The Bulldogs took advantage of Dartmouth's problems with turnovers, forcing the Big Green to turn over the ball 14 times in the first half.
Georgia's lead in the second half got as high as 39. Dartmouth surrendered the most points ever in a game, breaking the previous mark of 109 points scored set in 1989.
Syracuse
Dartmouth returned to action in the Blue Sky Restaurant Group/Dartmouth Women's Basketball Classic held at Leede Arena on Dec. 28 and 29.
Thursday's schedule paired Dartmouth with Syracuse in the Big Green's closest game of the season. However, the Orangewomen pulled out a 63-59 squeaker, moving into the finals and putting the Big Green into the consolation game of the tournament.
The game was close into the second half, when Syracuse went on a 15-5 scoring run. Dartmouth closed the gap to one, 58-57, with 1:26 remaining in the game.
Syracuse put two points onto the board, which were answered by Dartmouth's Keri Downs '03 to keep the margin at one.
The Orangewomen took advantage of two free throws at the 21-second mark, and then with seven seconds to play, Syracuse scored 1-of-2 from the line to close out the game and their win.
Hanks recorded her second double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Kinnear added seven assists to tie for 11th on the all-time career assist list.
St. John's
In the Blue Sky Classic consolation game, Hanks registered another double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. However, it wasn't enough as St. John's prevailed over the Big Green, 63-53, for Dartmouth's fifth loss in a row.
St. John's was helped by a tournament-record nine three-pointers. In the first half, they shot 83 percent from long range to build up a 10-point lead. Dartmouth wasn't as accurate, making only six of 32 shots from the field in the first 20 minutes.
Kinnear moved into a tie for 10th place on the career assist record board with the game. Freeman and Berdinka contributed 10 points each in the losing effort.
Hanks was named the MVP of the tournament, with 38 points and 24 rebounds in the two games.
Dartmouth will begin its Ivy League schedule this Saturday at 7 p.m. against Harvard here in Leede Arena. Ivy play will continue for the squad as they go on the road to face Brown and Yale on Jan. 12 and 13.
