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The Dartmouth
March 29, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Women's basketball nets win before losing to top team

02.07.11.sports.wbball
02.07.11.sports.wbball

Friday's victory against the Quakers (7-12, 1-4 Ivy) was the Big Green's first League win of the season. Dartmouth (5-14, 1-4 Ivy) led by one point at halftime, and its victory was not guaranteed until the team hit several key free throws down the stretch.

"I was really proud of the way we played against Penn on Friday night," Meghan McFee '11 said. "We came into the game focused and ready to go. Despite letting them back in the game in the second half, we were able to dig in and hang on to our lead to come out with a [win]."

Faziah Steen '13 scored a career-high 28 points for the second straight game, leading a trio of double-digit scorers. Steen connected on seven three-pointers, just one shy of the Dartmouth record. She also added three assists and two steals.

The Big Green shot 38.6 percent compared to Penn's 46.3 percent, but connected on 41.7 percent of its three-point attempts. Each team turned over the ball 13 times.

McFee played an exceptional game and was the difference-maker for Dartmouth, registering 17 points, five assists and five rebounds. Cassie Cooper '11 added 15 points matching her career high to go along with her nine rebounds.

McFee said that the team did an excellent job getting stops on defense, especially down the stretch. The Big Green was able to consistently hold Penn to one look at the basket on possessions, limiting the Quakers' scoring.

McFee also attributed Dartmouth's win to the team's strong free-throw shooting.

Despite putting forth its best effort, Dartmouth fell to Princeton (15-4, 4-1 Ivy) the next night. The team showed plenty of hustle against the defending League champions, but it could not connect at the basket.

"Offensively we struggled in the first half to get good looks, but we did a better job of playing like a team in the second half," McFee said. "We let them get too many second chances at the rim, and we couldn't finish inside."

The Tigers came into the game eager to win after having lost to Harvard University on Friday night, a game that snapped their 22-game League winning streak. Princeton saw three players reach double-figures, and the Big Green shot just 29 percent from the floor. Princeton converted on 48 percent of its shots.

Dartmouth was able to keep Princeton off the scoreboard in the first half until the Tigers made a jumper at 16:38 in the period. At the end of the half, the Tigers went on an 8-2 run to enter halftime with a 38-25 lead.

Both teams traded baskets to start the second half, before the Tigers scored four unanswered points to build a 69-45 lead and end any chances of a Big Green comeback.

McFee said that Dartmouth played hard against the Tigers, and called the game a learning experience in hopes that the team can improve its performance next time it faces Princeton.

"We could have done a better job boxing out and limiting their offense to just one shot," McFee said.

Sasha Dosenko '12 played particularly well throughout the game, registering 13 points, three blocks and a career-high 19 rebounds. Dartmouth matched Princeton on the boards, 43-43.

The Big Green will next travel to play Brown University on Friday night in Providence, R.I., before playing Yale University on Saturday night in New Haven, Conn.