It is too bad that almost does not count, because the Big Green came heartbreakingly close to defeating reigning Ivy League Champions Harvard University on Saturday.
Despite an amazing comeback effort put forth by the Big Green, the Crimson (9-5, 1-0 Ivy) finished on top with a 75-65 victory. The Big Green kept pace with the high caliber team, showing once again that its record does not tell the team's full story. After getting off to a slow start, Dartmouth rallied and spent most of the game within a few points of Harvard. The Big Green even lead Harvard for parts of the game, and was ahead of the Crimson by five points with eight minutes of play remaining.
It took Dartmouth some time to get a feel for the ball in the opening half, with weak defense and poor shooting that allowed the Crimson to take the lead by as much as 14 points. Then something clicked into place and Dartmouth crashed the boards, hit their threes and did everything else possible to close the half one point ahead. The entire team turned the game around, captain Jvonte Brooks '15 said.
"We were learning to play with one another and starting to gel a little bit more," Brooks said.
No single player took center stage, and many engaged in a collective effort Connor Boehm '16 and Alex Mitola '16 each put up 11 points, while Brooks and Gabas Maldunas '15 each added 10 points.
Harvard trampled the Dartmouth defense early in the game, taking a 36-22 lead by hitting 12 of 13 field goal attempts. However, the Big Green did not let Harvard run away with the lead and responded by holding the gap at 13 points. Just when it seemed that Dartmouth might give up the first half with five minutes remaining, the Big Green turned on the heat and proceeded to knock down seven of eight field goals, including three pointers from Boehm, Mitola and Kevin Crescenzi '16. Dartmouth finished out the half strong, ahead of Harvard 43-42.
Despite their loss, Boehm said the team moved the ball effectively throughout the game.
"We did a pretty good job of getting the ball on the inside to Jvonte and Gabas and moving the ball around the perimeter to guys like Alex and John [Golden '15]," Boehm said. "They did a good job of penetrating and making shots."
While both Harvard and Dartmouth were lighting up the scoreboard in the first half, Dartmouth's superior rebounding set the teams apart. While both sides had six three-pointers and eight turnovers, the Big Green held a 17-9 advantage on the glass that led to 17 second chance points as opposed to Harvard's five. Dartmouth finished out the half one point ahead of Harvard and headed into the locker room with a new outlook on the game, Tyler Melville '14 said.
"It was great to be ahead, but of course basketball is two halves so we couldn't be too excited," Melville said. "Everyone recognized that we needed to keep pushing and complete the game."
The second half opened with more excellent play from the Big Green. Dartmouth reached its largest lead of the night 50-45 with a three-pointer from Mitola and a jumper from Brooks. Harvard retaliated with a three-pointer and a fast break, but a behind-the-head layup from Tommy Carpenter '16 tied the score back up.
Dartmouth opened up another five-point lead with 8:43 left in play, but in the end the team could not defend against Harvard's last efforts. The Crimson notched 17 of the last 19 points in the game, starting with a three-pointer followed by four straight buckets.
"We need to play defensively the whole game," Boehm said. "There were some stretches where we were good, but we kind of gave it up at the end of the game."
Although the game ended in a 75-65 Harvard victory, Dartmouth's impressive showing for most of the game indicates that the team is improving. The game also follows a resounding victory over United States Military Academy at West Point, 75-58, on Jan. 8.
Up next for the Big Green is Colby-Sawyer this Thursday at 7 p.m. in Leede Arena, but a Crimson rematch is only two weeks away in Cambridge on Jan. 26.
