Dartmouth's game against the Quakers began with some back-and-forth action, as neither team gained more than a two-point lead for the majority of the first half. However, Penn was able to pull ahead during the last two minutes of the first half to finish with a 20-16 lead heading into the locker room.
"We felt really energized and good going into halftime," co-captain Nicola Zimmer '14 said.
The second half continued in a similar back-and-forth vein, but the Quakers were able to widen their lead until they were ahead 36-26 at the 13:26 mark. By 4:48, they were ahead 12 points.
Although forward Lakin Roland '16 was able to cut this lead down to seven points with a three-point play, Penn regained their dominance and brought the final score to 55-45.
Despite the loss, the team was pleased with the way they played during the game. Dartmouth had a better shooting percentage than Penn, with 32.7 percent compared to 30.4 percent for the Quakers.
"We didn't get to win, but we came out of it doing pretty good," Zimmer said. "We played hard and it ended up being pretty close."
Perhaps most indicative of the team's improvement is the contrast between this game and the last against Penn in February, which ended in an embarrassing 63-40 loss.
"I think we played a lot better than during the last Penn game," Roland said. "Last time, we were all tired from playing Princeton the night before. This game, we were all more excited to be on the court and we all played better."
On Saturday, the team returned to the court eager to win. The game had an added layer of significance because it was preceded by a ceremony honoring co-captain Faziah Steen '13 during the annual alumni weekend.
"It was senior night, so we all really wanted to give Faziah a gift by playing our hardest to win," Kamala Thompson '15 said.
Indeed, the Big Green exhibited aggression early on and led for the last 17 minutes of the first half. Although the team was able to secure a six-point lead twice before halftime, they were reduced to a 36-33 lead going into the locker room.
"It was a really high-tempo game," Thompson said. "We played with a lot of heart. It was a complete team effort from everyone off and on the court."
Although Dartmouth came into the second half continuing to show offensive strength and was able to reach a seven-point lead by the 14:20 mark, by 12:21 the teams tied at 46-46 and Dartmouth would not be able to regain its lead. The game remained close until the end, with the Big Green cutting Princeton's seven-point lead down to four in the last three minutes of play, but Princeton was able to come back and finish Dartmouth off with a score of 68-60.
"It was a great game," Zimmer said. "We had a lead for a substantial part of the game. Right down to the end it was a possession game and really competitive all-around."
The game marked a career-high for Roland, who became the first Dartmouth player to score 20 points this season, in addition to adding 12 rebounds to the scoreboard. Zimmer and Abbey Schmitt '15 also reached double figures in their shooting, and Thompson added an impressive 11 rebounds.
"We got to show our fans and the Ivy League that we are very much capable of competing with the number one team in the League, and maybe even of beating them," Thompson said.
This week, the Big Green will keep busy with a makeup home game against Cornell University on Tuesday, followed by games on the road against Cornell (11-14, 3-8 Ivy) and Columbia University on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
"I think we went through a drought where we lost our energy, but we all want to finish off the season really strongly," Thompson said. "It doesn't matter about our record or anything, we're doing it for ourselves."
