Behind strong leadership from upperclassmen and offensive intensity in the post, the Dartmouth women's basketball team performed better than on previous weekends during its two-game conference road trip last Friday and Saturday. The Big Green (3-16, 1-4 Ivy) beat Columbia University on Friday night, 59-44, snapping the team's 13-game losing streak and securing its first Ivy League victory. The following night, the women fell just short of a weekend sweep, losing to Cornell University in a hard-fought 49-45 loss. The Big Green saw exceptional play from its upperclassmen, notably Sasha Dosenko '12 and captain Faziah Steen '13, and from youngster Tia Dawson '15, who earned her second Ivy Rookie of the Week honor.
"It is always a plus when our upperclassmen play well," Steen said. "It passes a certain mindset to the younger girls that makes them play more aggressively. It is very good for them to see older players play this way."
In the Columbia (2-16, 0-4 Ivy) game, Dawson shone in the second half, during which she scored 13 of her career-high 15 points. Along the way, Dawson picked up her third double-double of the season, grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. Steen and Dosenko joined Dawson as double-digit scorers, as Steen netted 15 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Dosenko added 14 and five, respectively.
Head coach Chris Wielgus said he was proud of the women's effort.
"I think this game showed how much our team is growing and maturing," Wielgus said. "We usually have trouble at Columbia, but we were finally able to weather the storm. We really capitalized by scoring inside, and this helped us, because when Columbia began to collapse on our post players, it freed up our shooters on the perimeter for open shots."
The Big Green out-rebounded the Lions 52-36 and scored 17 second-chance points. Dartmouth also efficiently capitalized on Columbia's 12 turnovers, leading to 22 Big Green points. Steen said that with this effort, the team played much better than the previous weekend when it suffered losses to Brown University and Yale University.
"Against Columbia, we were able to successfully get into our offense and break the press," Steen said. "Since we were able to get the ball into the post, it prevented the tendency we tend to have of shooting the ball too quickly. It allowed us to get more touches and open looks. Also, our rebounding was big. Whenever we out-rebound our opponent, we know that we stand a good chance of coming close to a win."
With less than a minute left in the game against Cornell, Dartmouth trailed by only two points, 47-45. The Big Green missed an opportunity to tie the game when a shot by Kamala Thompson '15 barely rimmed out as she was whistled for traveling with nine seconds to go in the game.
Steen led the team in scoring with 16 points, while Dosenko added 13 points in the loss, including 29 turnovers, the second-highest total on the season.
After a sluggish start to the game, Wielgus made several subsitutions that sparked the Big Green's play. Dartmouth trailed by 14 points at one point, but was able to fight its way back into the game. Just as it did against Columbia, Dartmouth successfully got the ball into the post to open up offensive opportunities.
The Big Green also played well on the defensive end, holding the Big Red's leading scorer, junior forward Clare Fitzpatrick, to just 10 points.
Steen said there were several things that went wrong in the game that contributed to the loss.
"We struggled against Cornell's zone and 2-2-1 press," Steen said. "We had way too many turnovers but were able to stay in the game until the last few seconds. We have to make smarter decisions earlier in the game. At first, we were taking quick shots, but once we got the ball into the post, we were able to have more successful possessions."
Wielgus said that since the weekend was the first Ivy League road trip of the season, it was a new experience for many members of the team.
"I am very proud of the team and their efforts this weekend," Wielgus said. "Half of them had never played back-to-back Ivy League games like that before. It's a lot [of travel] and something you have to get used to. This is my 27th year doing this, but for most of the girls it was their first time. Rest is so important at this time of the season."
The Big Green will look to carry its successful play into its Winter Carnival homestand. The team will take on Ancient Eight leader Princeton University on Friday in the annual Play 4Kay game, which aims to raise breast cancer awareness in honor of late North Carolina State University coach Kay Yow.
Dartmouth closes out the weekend with a matchup against the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday.
"Princeton is very good," Wielgus said. "One thing they really have going for them is their experience. Their team is full of upperclassmen, which is always a plus for any Ivy League team. Princeton's seniors are playing very well right now. Against Penn, we are going to have to play our best as well. They are a tough, physical team that runs good sets."
Steen said she believes that limiting turnovers and the ensuing fastbreak opportunities will be the keys to victory this weekend.
"There are several things we need to improve, such as taking care of the ball and stopping other teams in transition," Steen said. "Princeton is very good on the fastbreak, so this will be important. Communication and rebounding are also key. When we don't do these things, we run into trouble."
