The women’s basketball team played nine games during the winter interim, picking up only one win against the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in the Blue Sky Classic tournament at Leede Arena.
The team’s season record now stands at 2-11.
The Big Green began its stretch of games on Dec. 1 in Washington, D.C., taking on American University. Katie Vareika ’17 turned in a stellar performance in the second half, when she scored all of her 13 points and shot three-of-four from beyond the arc. Three Dartmouth players finished in double figures. Ultimately, however, the Eagles dominated, shooting 47 percent from the field, led by senior Alexis Dobbs, who had 15 points, six assists and three rebounds. The final score was 77-54 in favor of the home team Eagles.
After its trip to the nation’s capital, the team returned to Hanover for a three-game homestand. Facing the State University of New York at Albany on Dec. 4, Abbey Schmitt ’15 posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and star Fanni Szabo ’17 notched 22 points and collected five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. However, the Big Green collapsed in the second half after trailing by just five at halftime. Albany sophomore star Shereesha Richards was on fire all night, canning 32 points on 15-of-18 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds. The final score was 81-59 in favor of the visiting Great Danes.
The team then lost 37-54 to Granite State rival University of New Hampshire on Dec. 7. Szabo and Kamala Thompson ’15 scored 10 points apiece, but the Big Green’s efforts were undermined by a dismal shooting night. The team made just 23.7 percent of its attempts from the field and missed its first 15 shots. New Hampshire had three players in double figures, and forward junior Kaylee Kilpatrick turned in a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Though the team regained some of its touch in its next two games, it fell to both Bryant University and DePaul University, 79-64 and 90-76 respectfully. Against Bryant, Szabo led all scorers with 23, and Schmitt added 10. The team finished shooting 50 percent from the field. Once more, though, team energy dropped in the second half. After being up by one at halftime, Dartmouth’s perimeter defense weakened, allowing Bryant to go seven-of-seven from beyond the arc and 63 percent from the field in the final half. Bryant also dominated the battle on the glass, outrebounding the Big Green 39-25.
At DePaul, several players performed well on the offensive end, but the freshmen stood out. Szabo scored 18 on 7-of-14 shooting, posting five assists and five steals, while Katherine Vareika ’17 had a career-high 17 points, making five of seven shots. The team trailed by 15 at the half, but earned a two-point lead midway through the final period. Very quickly, however, DePaul struck back, taking advantage of a string of Dartmouth turnovers to go on a 13-0 run.
Though the Big Green came up short, Koclanes lauded her players’ attempt to bounce back in the second half, calling their actions “a decision to compete,” in an interview with Dartmouth Sports.
The Big Green displayed another strong second-half performance in its game against Loyola University Chicago on Dec. 19. Szabo continued her outstanding freshman campaign, swishing in 19 points. Vareika had 14 on 5-of-10 shooting, and Lakin Roland ’16 turned in a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Despite being down by 10 at the half, Dartmouth rallied to tie the game at 51 after a clutch three-pointer from Szabo. On the next possession, however, Loyola junior Katie Faught hit a three-pointer of her own as the shot clock expired on a big possession. The Big Green was unable to recover from Faught’s heroics, giving the Ramblers a 56-52 victory.
Next, Dartmouth hosted the Blue Sky Classic in Hanover on Dec. 29 and Dec. 30. The tournament included four teams: Dartmouth, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, La Salle University and the State University of New York at Binghamton.
The women first faced La Salle. The team was buried by a poor shooting night. Szabo, normally the team’s top performer, only made one of her 14 attempts from the field. Roland attempted to fill the scoring void, producing 13 points and 12 rebounds. However, Roland’s contribution wasn’t quite enough to pull the Big Green through. The team finished shooting 28.8 percent. Redshirt junior Leeza Burdgess had a huge double-double for the Explorers, scoring 12 on 5-of-7 shooting and ripping down 10 boards. The final score was 54-43 in favor of the Explorers.
On the final day of the Classic, Dartmouth ended a nine-game losing streak, triumphing against UMass Amherst. Szabo returned to form, putting on a show with a career-high 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting. She also added six rebounds. Roland and Milica Toskovic ’15 both finished in double figures. Koclanes singled out Daisy Jordan ’16, who turned in seven points and six rebounds in 11 minutes, as an x-factor.
“[Jordan] was a spark off the bench. We want to see that intensity on a consistent basis,” she said in an interview with Dartmouth Sports. “I am proud of the effort we showed. This classic will prepare us for Ivy League play.”
Dartmouth’s last game during the winter interim was against the University of Hartford in Connecticut on Jan. 4. Again, the team was stymied by a poor shooting night, going just 29 percent from the field compared to Hartford’s 41 percent. For the second time in three games, Szabo struggled, scoring nine points on an inefficient 4-of-16 from the field. Roland once more tried to compensate for Szabo, turning in a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Despite a 49-34 advantage on the glass, the Big Green failed to close an 18-point halftime gap, falling 56-43 to the hosts.
As students return from break, Dartmouth will begin to play Ivy League opponents, starting with Harvard University on Jan. 11.
