Dartmouth (16-10, 12-1 Ivy) will play second-place Harvard (19-8, 11-2 Ivy) on Tuesday at Leede Arena, which will provide the team with an opportunity to clinch the title outright.
The Big Green cruised to a 64-43 win over Brown on Saturday. Brittney Smith '11 led all scorers with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Co-captain Koren Schram '09 added 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
"It means a lot," co-captain Darcy Rose '09 said of her third Ivy League title. "I've been lucky to be part of such great teams, it's been a wonderful time."
The Big Green has collected more Ivy League title banners that any other school in the conference in women's basketball. The team has been particularly dominant in recent years, picking up at least a share of the crown in four of the past five years.
"I am so proud of this team," Wielgus said. "I'm almost speechless. There's been a long, green tradition in Ivy League women's basketball and to be able to continue that tonight in front of our alumnae is wonderful."
Dartmouth controlled the game from the start, never letting the Bears get ahead by more than a point. Brown had no answer to the dominant post play of Smith and Rose, as the two controlled the paint throughout the half, en route to a 29-19 halftime lead.
The Big Green was just as strong in the second half, leading by as many as 24. Brown seemed baffled by the Dartmouth zone defense, and was never able to get into an offensive rhythm. The Bears shot a dismal 30 percent from the field on the game.
Roxy Moses '12 injured her knee with 30 seconds left in the game, falling without contact. Her knee had been bothering her throughout the week, but she is expected to be fine, Smith said.
On Friday, the Big Green beat Yale 61-51 in a tightly contested game. Schram led all scorers with 15 points, including 14 in the second half. Smith added 14 points and six rebounds on the game.
Dartmouth came out strong, jumping out to a 7-0 lead. Much like in Saturday's game against Brown, the Big Green went to its post players early and often, getting a combined 15 points and seven boards from Smith and Rose in the half. Schram and Meghan McFee '11 were able to feed the pair easy looks, and the Big Green shot a solid 42 percent from the field in the half as a result. Dartmouth led 27-17 at the half.
"[The team] played very well in the first half," Wielgus said. "They were comfortable out there and it showed."
The Bulldogs came out stronger in the second half, slowly chipping away at the Big Green lead. Yale was very effective defending Smith and Rose in the second half, playing them physically and getting the two into foul trouble. The two combined for only five points and seven rebounds in the second half.
"They were faceguarding," Smith said. "That made it difficult to post up, and so we had to rely on the lob which is difficult to build an offense around."
Yale was able cut the Dartmouth lead to one possession with three minutes left in the game. An astounding eight points from Schram through the rest of the game, however, quelled any chances of an upset. The senior hit a wing three from NBA range with 20 seconds left that clinched the win for the Big Green.
"[Schram] is one of the premier players I've ever coached," Wielgus said. "She's been a pleasure to coach. She is terrific offensively as she just showed, but her defensive game has elevated as well."
The Big Green allowed the Bulldogs to stay within reach with a horrific display from the charity stripe. Dartmouth has shot well from the free-throw line throughout the season, but was only able to hit 17 of 32 on Friday. The Big Green got back on track against Brown, hitting 90 percent from the line.
"Some nights they fall, some nights they don't," Schram said. "Tonight they didn't, and that isn't because we can't shoot, we've done really well all year. It's just something mental."
After sharing last year's title en route to an NIT tournament berth, the Big Green will not be in a sharing mood on Tuesday when it takes on Harvard. The Crimson is clearly a dangerous team. Harvard dismantled Brown and Yale over the weekend, 81-57 and 91-57, respectively.
"We definitely don't want to share anything," Smith said. "We'll prepare the same way as we always do, but we'll definitely come out excited, since it's also Senior Night."
The Big Green women's basketball team takes on Harvard on Tuesday night at Leede Arena for the Ivy League title. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
