First-year assistants Mark Graupe, Michael Brown and Tim Lane coached the game against the Crimson (12-3, 1-0 Ivy).
Captain Robby Pride '10 said that while the team had confidence in the coaches, it was difficult for them to adequately prepare the players for Harvard in the wake of Dunn's departure.
"The energy was very high tonight," Pride said. "We just weren't organized like we could have been."
Led by sophomore Keith Wright's 22 points, the Crimson asserted its position in first place in the Ivy League.
Dartmouth, on the other hand, will sit at the bottom of the Ivies until the rest of the Ancient Eight commences league play next Saturday.
Making Harvard's resume more impressive is that two of their three losses came against nationally-ranked Big East powers No.12 Georgetown University and No.13 University of Connecticut.
The Crimson's performance against Connecticut was particularly noteworthy the game was played on the Huskies' home floor, yet the Crimson kept it close, eventually falling 79-73.
"We knew today going down there was going to be a rough game no matter what," Pride said. "That's a very good team we just played. Harvard put a ton of pressure on us on the perimeter. They played very well on defense tonight."
The Crimson forced 20 turnovers to Dartmouth's 15 and outscored the Big Green in the paint 50-22. The Big Green's 20 turnovers were the most they had committed all season.
Dartmouth also struggled to generate penetration this year, while Harvard was able to get into the paint at will on Saturday.
"Today, we didn't take care of the ball very well," Ronnie Dixon '11 said.
Harvard hit just three of 14 from three-point range, but its interior dominance and ability to score fast break points negated the team's struggles beyond the arc, Dixon added.
With points contributed by 11 different athletes, the Crimson's offense was a balanced effort. Three players stood out, however, as Wright, Jeremy Lin and Christian Webster combined for 45 points, nearly matching Dartmouth's total score.
The Big Green shot well early on and came out with the first basket of the game before hitting six of its first nine shots. For the game, however, Dartmouth shot just 34.5 percent from the field.
"We started out kind of hot but we cooled down," Dixon said. "They scouted us and took away a lot of what we like to do."
Dartmouth has struggled all season to find one player to fill the role of consistent scoring threat. David Rufful '12 currently leads the team with 7.9 points per game. Against the Crimson, Dixon led the Big Green in scoring with 12 points.
In comparison, Lin, Harvard's top scorer, averages 17 points per game.
Back-to-back buckets from Josh Riddle '12 and two more from Jabari Trotter '12 gave Dartmouth a 12-11 lead with 12:47 to play in the first half.
The Big Green kept it close for most of the first half and trailed 28-21 with 3:56 to go until halftime. The Crimson pulled away, however, and went on a 10-1 scoring run before the buzzer.
After Dartmouth briefly cut the lead to single digits with 16:14 to go in the game, Harvard put the Big Green away for good, outscoring Dartmouth 36-16 for the rest of the game.
Dartmouth was outrebounded 36-27, which has been an issue for the Big Green all season. Weak interior defense, which has also plagued the team, continues to occur because players do not help each other out on defense, particularly when it comes to bailing out their big men down low, Pride said.
"[Helping the defense] is going to be the focus of practice for the next couple weeks," he said.
The Big Green will graduate just two seniors this season, Pride and Marlon Sanders '09, and the squad features only two juniors. The large number of underclassmen gives the team hope that Dartmouth will be able to compete at a high level in the Ivy League in future seasons.
Rookie R.J. Griffin '13 inspired hope earlier in the week with an exciting 16-point contribution to the Big Green's victory over Bucknell, but he scored just three points against the Crimson.
Dartmouth takes a nine-day break before hosting the University of St. Francis at Leede Arena on Jan. 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The following game, also at Leede Arena, is a rematch with Harvard on Jan. 23.
Still winless on the road, the Big Green looks forward to these home matches and is 3-4 at home this year.
