Big Green women's basketball picked up its second consecutive win in a 67-61 victory over the Central Connecticut Blue Devils on Tuesday night at Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, Conn. Dartmouth improves its overall record to 5-7 and stands firmly at 1-0 in the Ivy League.
The game against Central Connecticut is also the second consecutive contest in which Dartmouth, as junior Jean Cullen '06 phrased, "blew another lead but again was able to pull it off."
The College, at its peak, led the game 46-31 with 13:33 left in the second half. However, just eight minutes later, the Blue Devils trailed the Big Green by a slim two-point margin at 54-52.
Fortunately for Dartmouth, through the collective efforts of Cullen, who put away four free throws and a three-pointer, and sophomore Ashley Taylor '07, who contributed four more points in the final minutes, the Big Green came away with a win.
"It was a good team win for us," Cullen said. "We played really well as a team with 20 assists on 26 baskets. We are just trying to keep our momentum going for the Ivies."
Cullen recorded a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Two other Big Green players also scored in the double figures. Taylor had 18 while classmate Fatima Kamara '07 added 12 more points to round out the win.
Krystal Coke led four Central Connecticut players in double figures with 14 points. Teammates Aisha Williams and Brittney Dixon each had 13 points. Gabriella Guegbelet was the fourth Blue Devils player to hit double figures, finishing with 10.
Cullen, who contributed a total of 46 points in the past two games, said, "I was just able to get in a rhythm tonight. I knocked a couple of shots down and my confidence was high."
Overall, the Big Green shot 51 percent from the field, completing 26 of 51 field goal attempts, and grabbed 26 rebounds.
"Our winning showed how well we played as a team. We shared the ball and played with poise," Kamara said. "Overall, we played hard and smart."
The team continues to strive for playing a 40-minute game without letting down their guard. "We just have to keep on working on putting 40 minutes of basketball together," Cullen said. "If we can work on finishing off, we will be alright."
This win marks Dartmouth's fifth in the five-year-series with the Blue Devils. The two teams last clashed on Dec. 29, 2002, in a 67-64 game that ended with a Big Green victory.
The College will travel to Charlottesville, Va., on Sunday to face the Virginia Cavaliers. Dartmouth last collided with the Cavaliers on Mar. 16, 1995, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, which resulted in a hard-fought but disappointing loss.
After the face-off with Virginia in its last non-conference match of the season, the Big Green returns home to resume its Ivy League schedule with a contest against the Columbia Lions. Dartmouth looks to acquire its sixth consecutive win against the Lions on Friday, Jan. 28.
