The Dartmouth men's basketball team faced off against two of the top teams in the Ivy League this weekend. The Big Green (5-15, 1-5 Ivy) was denied its first League road win since February 2009 when it fell to the University of Pennsylvania on Friday, 78-47, before dropping Saturday's game against Princeton University, 68-53.
"We just weren't ready at all for the Penn game and we pretty much got what we deserved there," captain Clive Weeden '11 said. "With the Princeton game, we came out extremely strong and went into halftime tied, but we couldn't sustain it with our lack of depth."
The Big Green came out red hot in the first half, shooting 61 percent from the field. The Princeton defense clamped down after the break, however, as Dartmouth shot just 25 percent from the floor.
The second half included a stretch in which Dartmouth missed 10 straight shots, enabling the Tigers to build a 12-0 run and seize control of the game.
Only five Dartmouth players logged more than 10 minutes against the League-leading Tigers (16-4, 4-0 Ivy), wearing the team out in a second half in which Dartmouth was outscored, 34-19.
After Weeden sank a jumper to cut the Princeton lead to 52-44 at the 11:10 mark, the Big Green did not score again until Tyler Melville '14 hit a layup with 3:12 to play. By that point, the Tigers held a 22-point lead, with the game well in hand.
"In the beginning of the second half, we were running our offense well and getting the shots we wanted, but the shots just weren't falling," Weeden said. "We also weren't getting as many easy buckets as in the first half, and you need that when your shots don't fall."
Despite being a consistent team starter, Guard R.J. Griffin '13 faltered against Princeton. After a zero-for-seven showing from the field on Friday night, Griffin made just one of his eight shots against the Tigers.
Shooting woes particularly in the second half have plagued Dartmouth all season, and its 38 percent field-goal percentage entering the weekend ranked 325th in the nation.
"We need to figure something out soon to get some wins," Weeden said.
The only way to improve the team's shooting is through repetition, and head coach Paul Cormier instructed Big Green players to focus on the areas that they can control in the meantime.
"Coach told us that we have to control the things that are in our hands keeping down turnovers, grabbing rebounds and hitting our free throws," Weeden said.
Penn (9-9, 3-1 Ivy) built a 34-18 rebounding advantage on Friday night. Rebounding was certainly a problem for the Big Green this weekend, as Princeton outrebounded Dartmouth 42-29 on Saturday.
Sophomore forward Ian Hummer led the way for the Tigers with a game-high 19 points on eight-of-15 shooting.
Four of the League's top-12 scorers play for Princeton, including Hummer, who ranks seventh and averages just over 14 points per contest.
In contrast to the Princeton loss which was close for at least one half Dartmouth's game against Penn was over early.
"They dismantled us," Weeden said.
The 31-point loss to the Quakers was the Big Green's largest since a season-opening 35-point defeat to Providence College on Nov. 13, 2010.
Penn jumped out to a quick nine-point lead in the game's first six minutes.
The Quakers led by as many as 19 in the first half, and by the time the teams headed to the locker room, Penn held a healthy 38-24 advantage.
The main problem Dartmouth faced was shutting down senior guard Tyler Bernardini, who poured in 16 first-half points for the Quakers. After missing his first shot of the game a layup Bernardini went on to hit his next six, including four-of-four from three-point range.
Bernardini was not alone in scoring for the opposition, as Penn shot 68 percent as a team in the first half, including seven-of-nine three-pointers.
The Quakers entered the game tied for first in the League and were unbeaten in conference play, but they now sit in third in the League after a double-overtime loss Saturday night to second-place Harvard University. Princeton leads the League with its 4-0 record.
Dartmouth will search for its second conference win on Friday night at Leede Arena, when it hosts Brown University. The Big Green will face Yale University the following night.
