Despite an uninspired second half, the Big Green was impressive on the defensive end on Friday, as it snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Big Red.
The Big Green was dominant, holding Cornell (4-14, 0-4 Ivy) without a two-point field goal in the first half and to 25 percent shooting overall in the first portion of the game. The Big Red had no success penetrating Dartmouth's defense and instead had to resort to launching three-pointers, many of which were badly off-line.
Dartmouth came out focused, its energy and commitment to defense embodied by the play of David Rufful '12, who made several hustle plays in the first half.
With just over four minutes to play in the period, Cornell sophomore guard Johnathan Gray was headed out of bounds as he attempted to corral a rebound off a missed three-pointer. Gray flung the ball off of Rufful in a desperate attempt to retain possession, but Rufful successfully lept to save it before it could land out of play.
Dartmouth used an 11-1 run to close the first half and headed to the locker room with a healthy 17-point lead.
"We had a game plan of really running them off the three, because we know [junior guards Chris Wroblewski and Drew Ferry] pretty much live and die by the three," captain Clive Weeden '11 said. "Our guards did a wonderful job on that, and we were switching everything."
Wroblewski currently ranks third in the Ivy League in scoring, with 15 points per game, while Ferry averages just under 12 points.
Head coach Paul Cormier said he was pleased with the team's defensive performance, especially because the Big Green who ranks seventh in the league in total rebounding hit the glass hard to prevent Cornell from getting any second chances on offense.
"I thought defensively, it was a terrific effort," Cormier said. "We focused on no second shots. We've worked on the things that we can control, such as rebounding. I was pleased to see the rebounding [statistics]. We out-rebounded them by eight, which is a real positive."
Although it is four games into League play, Dartmouth is still searching for an offensive identity. Its problem has been most apparent in the second half of the team's last three games, when the team has been outscored by a total of 117-71. Dartmouth shot only a combined 31 percent from the field in the second half of those games and, in each case, the Big Green was either tied or leading at halftime.
Weeden said that in general, the team has failed to maintain its intensity while playing with a lead, allowing opponents to creep back into games. Yet against Cornell, the Big Green continued to build its lead in the first eight minutes of the second half by outworking the Big Red
The key play was a charging layup by Weeden down the middle of the lane just over three minutes into the half. Weeden drew contact from sophomore forward Errick Peck and crashed to the floor after putting up his shot. As he lay on the court, Weeden's teammates picked him up and the crowd exploded into a frenzy.
Weeden hit the ensuing free throw to complete the three-point play and put Dartmouth up 38-16. The Big Green stretched the lead to 28 points, as Jabari Trotter '12 hit a three-pointer with 12 minutes to play forging Dartmouth ahead, 48-20. From that point, however, the Big Green stalled offensively, and Cornell chipped away at the lead before ultimately running out of time in the game.
Cormier said Dartmouth must become more aggressive on offense in the second half, citing that the Big Green held a 28-point lead with 12 minutes to play but ended up winning by just seven.
"I was disappointed in the second half, the amount of turnovers we had," Cormier said, referring to the team's 14 giveaways. "I felt we stopped going to the basket a little bit, so there was no threat of scoring. So Cornell could afford to trap us, and if it didn't work, we weren't punishing them for the way they were playing."
Both coaching staffs at the game wore sneakers on the sidelines as part of the seventh annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend. All League coaches participated, as did well-known coaches like Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University and Roy Williams of the University of North Carolina.
Dartmouth was not as fortunate the following night, as Columbia (12-6, 3-1 Ivy) outscored the Big Green by a 41-20 margin in the second half to win, 66-45. The teams entered the break tied at 25, but the Lions used a sizeable advantage at the free throw line to pull away from the Big Green. Although Dartmouth was able to hold the Ivy League's leading scorer Lions junior guard Noruwa Agho to 4-of-13 shooting, Agho was six of six from the free throw line and still managed to tally a game-high 16 points.
Overall, Columbia converted 20 of 25 free throw opportunities, while Dartmouth was just 11 of 25 in the first half and seven of 17 in the second half from the line.
The loss to Columbia was the latest example of the Big Green's offensive woes, which are centered around the team's lack of a playmaker. No Dartmouth player averages more than 9.2 points per game or shoots better than 47 percent from the field.
In the win over Cornell, no Dartmouth player hit double figures until R.J. Griffin '13 hit two free throws in the final minute to give him a team-high 11 points.
For the second year in a row, Dartmouth sits last in the Ivy League in scoring average and field goal percentage, averaging just 58 points per game while shooting 38.3 percent. The numbers represent a slight improvement over last year's 54 points per game and 38.1 percent shooting.
The Big Green's offensive troubles have been worsened with the absence of captain Ronnie Dixon '11, who went down with a broken right hand on Dec. 20 and has not played since. Dixon hopes to return sometime in February.
Dartmouth now sits sixth in the Ivy League standings with a 1-3 conference record. Three schools remain unbeaten in conference play, led by Harvard University at 4-0. The University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, Dartmouth's next two opponents, are both 2-0 in the Ivy League after sweeping their fixtures this weekend.
Cormier said that while traditional powers Penn and Princeton represent a challenge, there are now other quality League programs.
"I think the League is very competitive," Cormier. "There's more than just the two top teams. It was Penn, Princeton and every fourth or fifth year one of us would put a scare into them. Now there's four or five teams up top that are really good."
Dartmouth plays Penn at the historic Palestra in Philadelphia on Friday before traveling to Princeton to face the Tigers the following night.
