This year Dartmouth (15-15, 11-3 Ivy), Cornell (20-8, 11-3 Ivy) and Harvard (18-11, 11-3 Ivy) all finished on top in the conference standings. It was the Big Green's 16th Ancient Eight title.
Dartmouth finished its regular season on fire, winning its final six conference contests to split the regular season title with Harvard and Cornell.
The Big Green was particularly impressive in its final two conference games at home against Yale (9-18, 7-7 Ivy) and Brown (2-26, 1-13 Ivy). Dartmouth held the Bulldogs and the Bears to under 34 percent shooting from the field and made over 30 trips to the free throw line.
The Crimson had a chance to wrap up the conference title going into the final day of conference play, but a loss to Yale forced the three-way playoff with Dartmouth and Cornell.
In determining the draw for the postseason tournament, Cornell was randomly awarded a first-round bye. Three state quarters, each one representing the home state of one of the schools, were placed in a bag and the New York state quarter was drawn out, giving the Big Red the opening night off.
In the first round, Dartmouth was victorious against Harvard, 68-62, on a neutral court at Columbia in New York City.
Dartmouth had a cushy 18-point lead with just under seven minutes to play in the game, but Harvard mounted a furious comeback to cut the deficit to four with 1:04 left in the contest. The Big Green was able to hold on in the waning moments to clinch the victory.
Betsy Williams '10 attributed the team's strong performance to the overall team play.
"I think we had more assists than we have had, ever, in a half," Williams said in a post-game press conference produced by Chuck Yrigoyen. "We were moving the ball, and everyone was moving in the offense, which allowed us to get into a rhythm and make our shots."
The Big Green hoped to carry its momentum from its seven-game winning streak into the championship game against Cornell, but the Big Red came out on top, 64-47, denying Dartmouth a trip to the NCAAs.
The Big Green's shooters were off the mark, as the team shot just 28.8 percent from the field in a contest that Cornell led from start to finish. This was a successful season for the Cornell basketball program -- both its men's and women's basketball teams made it to the NCAA tournament.
Head coach Chris Wielgus expressed frustration after the game.
"We missed too many shots," Wielgus said, in a post-game news conference. "We had decent shots and we missed too many of them, and you know, you don't get second chances. The game is a game of alternating currents; it flows many different ways. When it's flowing your way and you have the opportunity to score, you have to score."
Though the Big Green women missed the NCAA tournament, the squad made the Women's National Invitation Tournament field and faced off against the University of Vermont in the first round.
The Catamounts rolled to a 69-50 victory, using a 27-7 run over the final 11 minutes of the first half. The Catamounts received scoring from a variety of places, with four players in double-figures. Vermont also tallied 24 assists on 30 field goals.
Three individuals from the Big Green squad were recognized for their achievements by making the All-Ivy squads.
Sharpshooter Koren Schram '09 was named to the first team All-Ivy squad. Schram led the Ivies with 62 three-pointers made on the season, and she also led the conference in free throw percentage, nailing 83.1 percent of her attempts. Co-captain Sydney Scott '08 was named honorable mention conference choice.
Newcomer Brittney Smith '11 was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in a unanimous selection and was also named honorable mention All-Ivy.
Dartmouth will bid farewell to the two seniors on the squad, co-captains Scott and Kristen Craft '08. They will have the distinction of never having finished behind second in the conference in their careers. The duo has won three Ivy League titles and four post-season appearances.
