The Big Green improves its record to 12-4 and moves up the rankings in the Ivy League with a 3-0 record, tying the Princeton Tigers -- who were idle last weekend -- for first place.
On Friday night, Dartmouth handed a struggling Brown squad its first league loss of the season in a 73-51 decision.
"Brown was supposed to be a very good team, and I think we shut them down pretty well. So that was a little surprising," Krista Perry '06 said. "Basically, I think it showed us that we are a very good team."
The Bears kept it close through most of the first half. The Big Green was unable to distance itself from Brown until Jeannie Cullen '06 hit a three with seven seconds left in the first stanza to extend the gap to 10. Dartmouth led 38-28 at the half.
After the break, Dartmouth emerged from the locker room a robust team and opened scoring in the second half with a 13-3 run, securing a comfortable 51-31 lead by the 12:27 mark. Dartmouth never let down its defense in the second half and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the three-point range.
"I'm delighted with our assists and the way we played defense," said Dartmouth head coach Chris Wielgus. "We did a good job of containing Sarah Hayes and Colleen Kelly."
Cullen recovered from two mediocre performances and scored 21 points against the Bears. The senior poured in 18 points in the first half alone and was 5-of-8 from behind the arc.
Ashley Taylor '07 contributed 14 points and seven boards, while Sydney Scott '08 added 11 points and eight rebounds to the win.
"I am pleased we were able do many things well with as many people as we played," Wielgus said.
The Big Green had an exceptional offensive night, shooting an even 50 percent from the field in the first half before connecting on 12 of 23 shots in the second half.
All 12 players on the Dartmouth roster saw action against Brown, including senior Shannon O'Donnell '06, who recently recovered from an injury.
"I wasn't expecting to beat Brown by the amount that we did, but we were really able to stop them on the defensive end," Angie Soriaga '06 said. "But Brown always plays better at home, though, so I expect next game against them to be a closer one."
The Big Green overcame a young but persistent Yale team in a 77-60 victory on Saturday evening. The Lady Bulldogs tried hard, but were unable to do much against a more experienced Dartmouth program.
Dartmouth struggled to pull ahead of a relentless Yale squad in the beginning of the first half but finally broke away with a 22-3 spurt to close out the opening frame 40-20.
From the start of the final period, the Big Green continued to dominate the Bulldogs and held a 30-point edge at the 11:34 mark. However, Yale started to cut down the deficit after the Big Green experienced a bout of cold shooting. The Bulldogs were able to reduce the deficit to 17 before the clock ran out.
Soriaga led five Dartmouth players in double figures with 17 points. Scott supplied 13 points, while Fatima Kamara '07 and Taylor each added 11. Cullen poured in 10 points to round out double-figure scoring for Dartmouth. Big Green freshman Darcy Rose '09 came off the bench and scored a career-high nine points.
"Angie had a great game, but we had another very balanced attack," Wielgus said. "I thought Fatima Kamara did a tremendous job for us off the bench defensively and on the offensive end."
The Big Green completed more than half of its endeavors from the field for the second night in a row and was 53.8 percent accurate overall.
"They play as well as a team as anyone in the conference, far and away." Bulldogs head coach Chris Gobrecht said. "They do have very good guards, and we have freshmen playing against them."
The Big Green continues its four-game home stand this weekend when it takes on the Columbia Lions (4-13, 0-4 Ivy) and the Cornell Big Red (6-11, 3-1 Ivy).
"Our goal from here on out is to just play one game at a time, expecting every team we play to have the capability of beating us if we don't come out to play," Soriaga said. "That way, we maintain a high level of play for every game, regardless of who it is that we are playing."
Dartmouth holds a seven-game winning streak against both the Lions and the Big Red, and looks to continue this feat at home. Columbia has not won a league game this season, while the Big Red's only league loss was to the Princeton. Last Saturday, Cornell defeated Columbia in a 64-55 decision.
"I imagine Columbia to be the same team that they've always been -- a very pesky team with nonstop hustle," Soriaga said. "And Cornell's a much improved team from last year. We know we will have to play at a high level to get wins this weekend, since we know both of them will be out to get an upset."
