Down double-digits with just a few seconds left in play against the confident Wildcats, the Big Green assumed a new identity, furiously rallying to tie the game on a jump shot from Alex Barnett '09 with 1.3 seconds left in regulation play, before winning the game in overtime.
The impressive upset victory follows on the heels of the team's big win against Harvard last week.
After the game, the coaching staff made no attempt to hide its excitement.
"[Head] coach [Terry] Dunn told the team that this was a defining moment for this team and for the basketball program," assistant coach Shay Berry said.
The Dartmouth team began the contest with intensity, showing no signs of letting up after a strong performance in their previous game.
An early three by DeVon Mosley '09 and an alley-oop slam dunk from Barnett on an assist from co-captain Johnathan Ball '08 helped the Big Green build a commanding 16-6 lead. Soon after, a well-executed pick-and-roll led to an easy slam dunk for Kurt Graeber '09 with an assist from co-captain Michael Giovacchini '08, putting Dartmouth up 20-12.
But the Big Green offense abruptly stalled, allowing the Wildcats to rally. UNH put together a 16-2 run in the final 10 minutes of the first half to take a 28-22 lead into the locker room.
The team, however, did not panic, Ball said.
"We knew it was going to be tough," Ball said. "We came out really focused, but as in any game, we're going to have ups and downs. We considered ourselves lucky to go [into halftime] down by only six."
The second half began much like the first had ended, with the Wildcats dominating the floor. The UNH squad that had struggled from beyond-the-arc in the first half, shooting just four of 17 from distance, found its three-point shot in the second, sinking four of eight attempts. A three pointer from the Wildcats' leading scorer Tyrece Gibbs put UNH up by a score of 45-33 with just seven minutes remaining in play.
The Big Green finally responded, however, by tightening up its defense. Free throws by Barnett pulled the Big Green within three with 1:17 to play. After a quick exchange of shots from the line, Dartmouth trailed 53-50 but UNH had the ball with just 45 seconds remaining.
"We started to pick up our defensive intensity, picking up full-court, trying to force turnovers," Ball said.
Finally, in what turned out to be the turning point of the game, Marlon Sanders '09 secured the biggest turnover of the game, grabbing a steal and laying it in on the other end of the floor to pull the Big Green within one point with 38 seconds to go, sending the Dartmouth bench into an enthusiastic frenzy as UNH was forced to call a timeout.
After Wildcat forward Mike Christensen made one of two free throws extending the UNH lead to 54-52, the shot clock turned off as Dartmouth got the ball with its last chance to pull even or win with a three-pointer. Though the team nearly lost the ball after two quick Dartmouth shots, a jump-ball favored Dartmouth, giving the team one more chance with five seconds to play. On the inbounds play, a screen by John Marciano '11 freed up Barnett for a baseline seven-footer that sank through with just 1.3 seconds showing, sending the game into overtime.
In the extra period, the score remained tied at 59 with 1:35 minutes remaining. But Ball stepped up, hitting a floating jumper to pull the Big Green ahead for good at 61-59. Mosley iced the victory with four straight free throws.
"[I] didn't think about it much," Mosley said. "[I] just imagined [the ball] soaring over the front of the rim."
After the game, Ball said he was impressed by the team's resiliency down the stretch.
"When we got scoring opportunities down the stretch, we converted," Ball said. "It was a great grind-out win. The impressive thing is that it was on the road. It really defines the character of the team, and we'll take this as a bar of what we can accomplish."
Ball is confident about the team's chances of winning the Ivy League conference this year. "For one, we have the pieces this year," Ball said.
Mosley shares Ball's confidence in the team's depth.
"We have enough weapons where if I don't score, I know others are going to step up," Mosley said. "Secondly, the Ivy League is more balanced this year. Those two factors combined give me hope that we can win the Ivies. The main thing is just being consistent with our play. We have a great chance at winning the conference. I've never felt better at the beginning of conference play."
The team hopes its recent success could provide the push that propels an improved Big Green squad to Ivy League success.
An Ivy League championship would signify the Big Green's first NCAA tournament appearance since 1959.
Dartmouth looks to continue its momentum at home against nonconference opponent Maryland-Eastern Shore on Jan. 23. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
