Smiths, Gleason Return Home as Dartmouth Takes on Southern Methodist

Dartmouth-SMU Game Notes

DALLAS - The Dartmouth women's basketball team will bring home Fort Worth, Texas natives Margaret and Brittney Smith when it takes on Southern Methodist, alma mater of assistant coach Mary Gleason, in Dallas on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Central time (8 p.m. Eastern). The game is one of Dartmouth's traditional homecoming game for its players and is a bonus for Gleason, who played for the Mustangs from 1991-95. With three local draws, Dartmouth expects to see many pro-Big Green faces at Moody Coliseum on Tuesday night.

THIS TIME OUT: Game Number 862. The Big Green is back on the road again this time with a homecoming game for Fort Worth, Texas natives Brittney Smith and Margaret Smith and assistant coach Mary Gleason, a Texan and SMU alum.

LAST TIME OUT: Dartmouth picked up a much-needed win, knocking out America East member Stony Brook at Leede Arena on Saturday, 59-47. The Big Green avoided a post-exam letdown and dispatched the Seawolves with a big second-half effort.

NEXT TIME OUT: It's on the bus and up to Fayetteville for a Dec. 18 date with the Razorbacks of Arkansas. It's a long-awaited homecoming for senior guard Koren Schram, a Batesville native, who expects a solid crowd of family and friends.

DARTMOUTH PROBABLE STARTERS
#10 Margaret Smith, JR, G
#20 Brittney Smith, SO, F
#25 Darcy Rose, SR, C
#32 Betsy Williams, JR, G
#33 Koren Schram, SR, G

QUICK HITS
? Dartmouth came into the Stony Brook game hitting just 63 percent of its free throws, but converted 22-of-26 (85%) against Stony Brook which helped seal the win.
? The Big Green's starting lineup has done the bulk of scoring so far, with just 6.3 points per game coming off the bench. The starting five is accounting for 87.5 percent of Dartmouth's points.
? Senior forward Darcy Rose was a force against Stony Brook, posting a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Green to victory. Rose also converted three conventional three-point plays in the second half.
? It's a modest stat early on, but Dartmouth is 2-0 when holding its opponents below 49 points.
? The Big Green continues to get balance from its starting five, with three players in double-figures against Stony Brook and Koren Schram just behind with nine points.
? Former forward Margaret Smith is a jack of all trades for Dartmouth. In her second season playing as a guard, she provides solid rebounding and defense for the Big Green.
? Dartmouth started the season with a bang, playing four games in the first eight days all against teams that made the 2008 postseason - and adding four overtime periods to the last two.

WELCOME HOME
Today's game is a homecoming for Dartmouth players Margaret and Brittney Smith, natives of Fort Worth, Texas. The Smith sisters expect a solid hometown crowd to watch them play in their hometown. The tradition of homecoming games is a long-standing one for the Big Green, with players from all over the country on the roster. Next up, senior guard Koren Schram (Batesville, Ark.) plays in her home state against the University of Arkansas.

OLD STOMPING GROUND
Dartmouth assistant coach Mary Gleason is also making a homecoming, returning to the court where she spent four years as a player at SMU. She was part of a great time for the Mustangs, making the WNIT in 1993 and NCAA Tournament in 1994 and 1995. When she graduated, in 1995, she was SMU's career leader in three-point field goals.

BREAKING THE STREAK
Prior to the Dec. 13 victory over Stony Brook, Dartmouth had not won its first game out of final exams since 2004. After an even first half, the Big Green broke that streak with a 59-47 win over the Seawolves.

ROAD WARRIORS
For the second-straight season, Dartmouth will play 16 of its 28 games on the road. The Big Green opened at Leede Arena on Nov. 18 and today's matchup is the first home game since then. The longest road stretch will be in January - February when Dartmouth goes 40 days without a home game.

SOLID SCHEDULE
Not only has Dartmouth played a solid schedule, but so have its opponents. The Big Green's strength of schedule rating was as high as 4th in the nation last week though the win against Stony Brook dropped it to 38. The ranking has been bolstered by its opponents wins and losses, many to top-25 teams. As of today, all of Dartmouth's opponents except for Stony Brook have winning records.
St. John's leads the way at 8-1, losing only to #10 Baylor while Michigan State (6-4), which ranked as high as 21st nationally, lost to #14 Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. Hartford (5-5) has played a tough schedule, with an upset over #5 Duke and losses to DePaul, George Washington #18 Ohio State and #12 Louisville. Temple (5-3) counts #15 Rutgers, #20 Auburn and Florida State as its losses. Since losing to Dartmouth, Delaware (5-3) has won three-straight.

KEEPING OPPONENTS UNDER 50
In the win over Stony Brook, the Big Green held the Seawolves to just 47 points, a season-low for a Dartmouth opponent. In its other win, Dartmouth held Delaware to just 49 points and the Big Green only let Michigan State score 48 in regulation. Dartmouth held its opponent under 50 points eight times last season and opponents twice hit just 50.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Dartmouth has made a clear commitment to rebounding this year, hauling in an average of 39.3 boards per game for a +1.3 margin. Against Delaware, the Big Green commanded the glass with a 33-26 advantage, holding the Blue Hens well below their 43.5 average. Dartmouth also controlled the glass against a powerful Michigan State inside presence, 31-37, and held Vermont in check, 56-45.

FREE THROW WOES
Like last season, getting to the free throw line has not been a problem for Dartmouth to date. The Big Green has already taken 150 free throws to its opponents 90 but has only made 67.3 percent of those. In 2007-08, Dartmouth took 652 free throws to its opponents 373.

Schedules