On Saturday, the Big Green traveled to New Haven to face a tough Yale opponent that was looking to tie a school record with a seven-game home winning streak. With Yale coming off a decisive victory over Harvard Friday night, both teams were trying to improve their positions in the Ivy League standings.
Captain Ashley Taylor '07 was back in her usual form on offense, leading the Big Green with 22 points. Koren Schram '09 complemented Taylor with her own double-digit scoring effort.
The two helped Dartmouth through several offensive surges by the Bulldogs in the first half, overcoming two Yale three-pointers at the start of the game to give the Big Green a 15-10 lead.
Yale came back led by the three-point shooting of sophomore guard Jamie Van Horn, who dropped four points in the first half and finished the game with 14.
The story of the game for the Bulldogs was outside shooting. Several times key three-pointers kept Yale in the game, including two in a row by junior Stephanie Marciano, who scored a team-high 22 points to give Yale the lead with under four minutes to go.
Dartmouth was very successful in neutralizing Yale's duo of Chineyne Okafor and Erica Davis, led by the post defense of Darcy Rose '09.
"They're very big inside. We have to defend the paint, and they were huge and very effective inside. We were very pleased with the fact that we were able to contain them inside," Rose said.
However, Rose's effectiveness inside opened up the outside look for Yale, and they made as many as they missed from three-point range
Head coach Chris Wielgus described many of Yale's shots as spectacular, especially down the stretch. Dartmouth shot a disappointing 23 percent from three-point land and just 31 percent from the field.
Dartmouth shot 42 percent from the field against Brown and is undefeated when shooting better than 40 percent. Wielgus dismissed this statistic and emphasized the importance of defense in her team's victories.
"I think it's never just one thing in the game, clearly every coach in the country wants all the shots to go in, but it's the defensive end that wins championships," she said. "You don't go on the road in the Ivy League saying I want to make all my shots."
The Big Green looked strong early on in the second half, overcoming a 10-point deficit to take the lead with ten minutes to go in the game. Rose and Schram both scored five points in the 10-0 comeback run.
The teams traded buckets for the remainder of the half and the game was tied with 1:29 remaining. Dartmouth was unable to capitalize on its offensive opportunities after forcing turnovers and had to begin fouling to get the ball back. However, the Bulldogs were flawless from the free throw line and the Big Green was never able to close the deficit.
Before the contest with Yale, Dartmouth came into the Pizzola Center in Providence on Friday on a hot streak after two decisive victories in its final two non-conference games and jumped to an early 10-0 lead.
Fatima Kamara '07 dropped eight of the first ten points in the game, shooting well both in and outside of the paint. She finished the game with 12 points, finding the net twice in the second half and leading the team in scoring.
Kamara was joined in double digits by Rose, Schram and Sydney Scott '08. Absent from the high scorers list was Taylor, who was coming off a career-high 30 points against Holy Cross.
"We're a motion team, we take what they give us, we have to read a lot," Wielgus said of the Big Green's offense. "They were doubling [Taylor], which freed up opportunities for others. We were pleased with the balance we had in scoring."
The Big Green's game looked drastically different from its performances against Holy Cross and New Hampshire this year, when Dartmouth dominated from long range and struggled offensively in the paint.
Schram and Taylor were the only members of the Big Green to attempt shots from outside the arc, with only Schram scoring two of six three-pointers.
Dartmouth attacked the paint, scoring 34 points -- more than half of the Big Green's offensive attack -- from the key.
On the defensive end, the Dartmouth women continued to impress, forcing 18 Brown turnovers, including five steals and three blocks by Taylor. She also dominated the boards, pulling down nine defensive rebounds, a season high.
"Both games defensively we did a great job, the defense is beginning to evolve the way we hoped. We were pleased with the defensive intensity both nights," Wielgus said.
Taylor has found success in recent games in anticipating opponents' passes and converting them for scores. Against Brown, she was more effective distributing the ball to her teammates
For the Bears, freshman Christina Johnson came off the bench to contribute a career-high 14 points. Senior Ashley King-Bischof also contributed 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Big Green is back in action next weekend with a road trip to Cornell on Friday, Feb. 2 and Columbia on Saturday, Feb. 3. Both games are at 7 p.m.
