Brooks recorded his second consecutive double-double in the game against Penn (13-11, 5-2 Ivy), posting a season-high 18 points and nabbing 10 rebounds for Dartmouth.
The Big Green fought ferociously to get the score to a deadlock 55-55 with 23 seconds to play. When Rosen brought the ball down the court for Penn's final attempt at a winning play, Dartmouth's defense stifled his options, leaving Rosen alone outside the curve. At 27 feet out, Rosen heaved up a shot that found its way to the net to seal Penn's victory.
Penn came out raring to go in the second half, extending its five-point lead to 11 with three quick baskets. Although John Golden '15 had a highlight-reel slam dunk, Penn's lead crept up to 15 points just six minutes into the second half.
Dartmouth retaliated with an iron defense, holding the Quakers to just three points as the Big Green snagged 18 points in an impressive seven-minute rally. Jabari Trotter '12 started the comeback with a layup followed by two free throws from Brooks, who was 12-for-14 from the line on Saturday.
Gabas Maldunas '15 said the team stuck together and made a conscious effort to come back from the 15-point hole.
"We looked to each other and started taking more shots," he said. "We became more aggressive and played together, which helped us get back into the game."
Dartmouth showed off its shooting prowess with a three-pointer from R.J. Griffin '13 and a baseline jumper from Matt LaBove '13. Continuing the streak, Tyler Melville '14 scored six out of the next nine points for Dartmouth, including a layup to tie the score at 48 with seven minutes left to play.
With three minutes remaining, Penn managed to break through the Big Green defense to snag a 55-49 lead. The atmosphere was tense, and after a turnover by Penn, Quaker head coach Jerome Allen earned a technical foul for his vocal protests. Brooks sank one of the two free throws and Melville followed up with another three-pointer to bring the Big Green within a shot of the Quakers at 55-53.
Although the team has had trouble maintaining its aggression in past games, Maldunas said the Big Green gained confidence in its ability to sustain its energy.
"We learned that even when we're down, there is still time to come back from anything," he said. "For the next games we're going to play together so that we can finish strong."
With 22.8 seconds to go, Penn's Marin Kukoc fouled Brooks, sending him out of the game with five fouls. Brooks knocked down two to tie the game, but it was not enough to stop Rosen's closing three-pointer for the Penn win.
Brooks said that although the Big Green had a few unnecessary turnovers, the team improved its mental toughness.
"A big thing that we will take away from this game is that patience is key," he said. "We just need to stay focused."
In the game against Princeton on Friday, Dartmouth began strong, leading 11-1 after eight minutes of play. Captain David Rufful '12 started the scoring drive with a three-pointer, followed by two baseline shots from Maldunas. Princeton gradually made its way back despite a poor 28.6 shooting percentage to close the first half down 25-23.
Brooks said the team tightened up on offense during the Princeton game and did not open up as many options.
"Against Princeton, we were more hesitant and didn't run our offense as well," he said. "We were more aggressive overall in the Penn game."
Brooks said that the team sometimes gets wrapped up in running the offense.
"If we play more freely, we are much more effective," he said. "That is the key to our game."
Princeton stepped it up in the second half, starting out with a 14-2 run in the first seven minutes. After Golden hit a three-pointer and Melville contributed several layups, the Big Green held the Tigers to a 39-34 lead. After Princeton worked to an 11-point lead from back-to-back triples, however, the Big Green was never closer than eight points to catching the Tigers the rest of the game.
Dartmouth hosts Yale University on Friday, Feb. 17 and Brown University on Saturday, Feb. 18 in Leede Arena.
Maldunas said that the team is prepared to finish its season strong.
"We learned that we can win now instead of just waiting until next year," he said.
