On the heels of the team's third Ivy championship in four years, the 16th-seeded Big Green (18-11, 13-1 Ivy) looked to carry its momentum into the postseason with an early upset bid at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md.
"We didn't come down here to do well -- we actually came down here to win, but we are just delighted," head coach Chris Wielgus said in a Collge press release.
The Terrapins (28-4, 12-2 ACC) headed into the matchup with a 35-game home winning streak, anchored by the ACC Player of the Year senior Kristi Toliver.
Although Dartmouth was regarded as the best defensive squad in the Ivy League, Toliver, who is averaging 18.1 points and 5.1 assists per game, was too much to handle for the Big Green. She posted a game-high 27 points, shooting 11 of 14 and connecting three times from beyond the arc.
"Kristi Toliver is a very talented player," co-captain Darcy Rose '09 said. "We had a definitive game plan to try and stop her, but we didn't execute it as well as we could have, and she played very well."
Maryland's Marissa Coleman led both teams in rebounds and assists, with 13 and five, respectively.
Ivy League Player of the Year Brittney Smith '11 had a team-high 13 points and eight rebounds for Dartmouth.
The Big Green came out cold in the early goings, as the team missed its first nine shots and started off shooting three of 22 from the field. Dartmouth also struggled to match up defensively with the Terrapins' motion offense, as Toliver posed both long-range and inside threats to the Big Green's zone defense.
"We committed too many turnovers at key moments, allowing Maryland to go on runs," Rose said. "We also had trouble finishing at the rim, and allowed too many offensive rebounds."
With Maryland leading 22-7 in the first half, Dartmouth finally began to heat up. Smith led a short offensive surge that cut the Terrapin advantage to 13 with less than eight minutes to go before halftime.
The two teams exchanged the next several points before Toliver took over the Maryland attack and spurred a 9-3 run that gave the Terrapins a 19-point edge heading into the second half.
At the break, Toliver's 23 points equaled the total output of the Dartmouth squad.
The Big Green opened the second half with a sense of urgency, as Smith and Rose hit back-to-back shots to cut the deficit. Maryland responded with an 8-0 run before Dartmouth countered with its own eight-point surge.
Midway through the second half, Dartmouth pulled to within 15 points with a Betsy Williams '10 three-pointer, but the streaky Terrapins quickly pushed back, mounting an 8-0 run that all but ended the Big Green's hopes of a dramatic comeback.
With five minutes left in the game, Dartmouth started to clamp down on Maryland's fast-paced attack into the paint, cutting the lead to 22.
The last-ditch effort, however, was too little too late, as the Terrapins emphatically capped off its offensively-driven game plan with a 13-6 spurt down the home stretch.
Maryland dominated Dartmouth's smaller lineup on both sides of the court. The Terrapins outscored the visitors 44-22 in the paint, while posting a 54-34 rebounding advantage.
Williams said she was disappointed in the first-round loss, but appreciative of the tournament experience.
"We wish we had been a little bit more competitive," Williams said. "But we played hard and fought to the end, and overall, it was a great experience."
Williams is already looking forward to next season, as an experienced Big Green squad looks to improve.
"We have a lot of experience coming back. We'll miss our seniors, but we feel really good about our team and we think we have what it takes to compete at any level.," she said.
Rose, who closed out her career at Dartmouth with four postseason appearances, expressed her optimism in the passing of the torch.
"We have a ton of talent on the team, and I have no doubt that with some hard work in the offseason, they will be ready to compete next year," she said. "There are several players with experience, and also many younger players who are ready to step up and fill roles as necessary."
After dispatching Dartmouth, Maryland has advanced to the Elite Eight and will face third-ranked Louisville tonight.