The Dartmouth women's basketball team won its third consecutive game on the road, rallying past Bryant University 71-56 Saturday afternoon.
The Big Green's come-from-behind victory was marked by a strong second half, as Dartmouth (6-9, 1-0 Ivy) outscored and out-rebounded the Bulldogs (5-12, 0-0 NEC) by double-digit margins after the intermission.
Brittany Smith '11 led all players with a career-high 24 points and nine rebounds, while teammate Koren Schram '09 tallied six rebounds and four steals to cap off a solid defensive showing for the Big Green.
Bryant's Lindsay Hudspethcame off the bench and led her team with 18 points.
Teammate Kelsey O'Keefe contributed 16 points and 14 boards, posting her sixth double-double of the season.
After an 11-day break, Dartmouth looked to bolster its confidence with another win on the road before the start of two key league matchups later in the month.
"Being on a winning streak definitely gives us some confidence heading into the rest of Ivy play, but everyone plays their best against us so we have to be ready for anything," Darcy Rose '09 said.
The Big Green, however, was mostly quiet in the first half. Despite jumping on the board early with a Margaret Smith '10 three-pointer, Dartmouth was unable to build off its short spurt, as the Bulldogs soon responded with a 7-0 run that erased the Big Green's opening advantage.
With the score tied at 15, Bryant began to assert its presence on both sides of the court, surging to a nine-point lead and snuffing out Dartmouth's offensive boards with tough perimeter defense.
Foul trouble for the Big Green starters kept the bench warm and the shooting percentage cold, as the Bulldogs capitalized on a stronger line-up on the court, maintaining a solid lead throughout the first half.
"We need to work on staying out of foul trouble, but I think we did a good job overcoming that in this game and getting the win," Rose said.
With less than two minutes left before the break, the Big Green finally began to heat up. Smith led a brief scoring charge that cut the Bulldogs' advantage to five.
At the intermission, Bryant led Dartmouth 31-26, with the Big Green shooting only 32.3 percent from the field.
The start of the second half became a back-and-forth affair, as the Big Green matched the Bulldogs offense with equal intensity.
An O'Keefe basket from long range would bring the Bryant lead to eight before a Betsy Williams '10 basket from the paint sparked a 7-0 run that gave the Big Green its first lead since midway through the first half.
"Defensively, once we started boxing out and rebounding we were able to cut down on their second chances," Rose said. "On the offensive end, we were then able to get fast breaks, and everyone was looking for their shot."
A resilient Bulldogs squad, however, kept the Big Green on its heels, quickly bouncing back and tying the game at 45.
This time, the Big Green would not falter, as a balanced offensive spread slowly dismantled the Bulldogs' defense.
Led by Smith and guard Meghan McFee '11, the Big Green wore down Bryant's tight perimeter pressure with one-on-one matchups and solid shooting from the free-throw line.
The Bulldogs kept the game close at 55-51 with 5:26 left in regulation, but the Big Green quickly boosted an 8-0 scoring surge that kept any comeback opportunities out of reach for the home team.
At the final buzzer, Dartmouth finished with a 15-point advantage that reflected its offensive sprint down the home stretch, as the Bulldogs squad was unable to match up with the Big Green's fast-paced perimeter shooting.
In the second half, the Big Green out-shot and out-rebounded the Bulldogs 45-25 and 28-8, respectively, while Dartmouth's balanced attack had all five Big Green starters scoring in double digits.
Rose cited the importance of making shots in the paint as a contributing factor to the Big Green's success in the second half.
"We did a really good job getting the ball inside in the second half, and also got more offensive rebounds," she said.
Smith agreed.
"We were more patient with the ball, and we attacked the basket," she said.
Smith also saw the victory on the road as a confidence-boaster, stating that the upcoming Ivy opponents can pose formidable matchups.
"We just need to play [Princeton and Penn] as we did Harvard," she said. "Judging from their records, I don't think they're as strong, but you never know. You can never look too far; you just have to play each game like it's the last one."
After finishing non-conference play, the Big Green will resume Ivy matchups next week, facing Princeton on Friday and the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday for a road-trip doubleheader. Both games are scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m.
