The Crimson (8-6, 1-0 Ivy) dominated the game on both ends of the court. Harvard shot a lofty 49.2 percent overall in the game, and converted on eight of 19 attempts from beyond the arc. Dartmouth was held to shooting 31.3 percent, while going only 1-15 from the three-point range.
"We have struggled since [Smith] went down a month ago," co-captain Cassie Cooper '11 said. "There were a lot of shots that went in for [Harvard] but not for us."
Injury hit the Big Green again on Saturday, when point guard Nicola Zimmer '14 dislocated her left knee in the second half of the game. The severity of the injury is still being determined, according to teammates.
Three Crimson players reached double-digits in scoring. Freshman Christine Clark and junior Brogan Berry each had 18 points, and senior Emma Markley added 16.
Forward Janelle Ross '14 and Cooper led the Big Green with 15 points each.
"I was very excited to play against a League opponent," Cooper said. "When we were struggling, I just put it on my shoulders to carry the team."
Dartmouth stayed close against Harvard in the beginning of the game, evening the score at 12 with a basket from Ross five minutes into the contest. After Cooper made two key shots toward the end of the first half, the Big Green found itself down by only five points with 4:30 left in the half. Despite the team's best efforts, however, that was as close as Dartmouth would get for the remainder of the game.
The Crimson soon went on a 9-2 run and finished the first half with a buzzer-beating three pointer off the backboard, extending its lead to 34-22. After the break, Harvard delivered an 11-0 run that effectively put the game out of reach for the Big Green.
"The big issue for us is to stop people in transition," Faziah Steen '13 said. "Offensively, we need to get into a flow and be able to execute."
Although Steen and Kelsey Byrd '13 were able to score down the stretch, it was too little, too late. The Crimson cruised to a 33-point victory.
"The effort was there," Ross said. "We really wanted it, but it just didn't happen."
Dartmouth struggled offensively for much of the game, committing 19 turnovers while tallying only 11 assists. Harvard finished the game with five blocked shots and 11 steals.
A bright spot in the game for the Big Green was its rebounding. The team grabbed 41 total rebounds, including 22 on the offensive end. Harvard had 17 offensive rebounds in the game and 44 in total.
The contest was the 68th meeting between the two teams. Harvard leads the all-time series 36-31, but Dartmouth had won four of the last five meetings before Saturday's game.
In recent years, the two teams have formed one of the most exciting rivalries in college women's basketball. Harvard has won 11 League titles, second only to Dartmouth's 17.
Since Harvard exposed a number of the team's weaknesses, Dartmouth will have to improve and refine its skills in order to compete in conference play this season, according to players.
"We have to get better at running the floor and get back on transition defense," Ross said. "We also have to do a better job of setting up our shooters, getting them involved in the game."
The road to a League crown this season became significantly tougher for the Big Green in December, when Smith suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury. She led the team in almost every offensive category before her injury, averaging close to a double-double in points and rebounds.
"[Smith] was our leader," Steen said. "She was our leading scorer, rebounder and she also did all the intangibles on defense, which can't be measured."
The Big Green will have two weeks to practice and rest before its next game. Dartmouth won't play again until back-to-back games at Cornell University and Columbia University on Feb. 28 and Feb. 29, respectively.
