Women's Basketball Heads North for Showdown with Vermont

Complete Dartmouth Game Notes

Game 4: Dartmouth (1-2) at Vermont (3-0)
Date: Wednedday, Nov. 25 • 7:00 PM
Location: Patrick Gymnasium • Burlington, Vt.

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Dartmouth-Vermont Series
Series Record: Vermont leads, 16-11
Last Meeting: 11/23/08 • Burlington, Vt.
Result: Vermont W, 82-77 (3OT)
Streak: Vermont + 5
Vermont has taken the lead in the all-time series with wins in its last five meetings with the Big Green. Dartmouth's last triumph came in 1999, an 83-69 victory in Hanover. The teams played an annual series from 1981-2002. The Big Green and Catamounts were matched up in the 2008 Postseason WNIT and then met again last November in Vermont's tournament. Tonight's contest begins the renewal of the annual series between two New England mid-major powers.

THIS TIME OUT
Game Number 887. Dartmouth hits the road for the first time this season but won't be going too far, traveling just 100 miles up I-89 to take on the Catamounts. Dartmouth will look to stop a two-game skid while Vermont is playing its first home game of the season.

LAST TIME OUT
The Big Green took another tough loss to an impressive Hartford squad, spotting the Hawks a big first half lead. Dartmouth had a strong second half performance but could not make up the difference.

NEXT TIME OUT
Dartmouth travels to Cincinnati for a Sunday match-up before the 12-day final exam break. The Big Green plays at Stony Brook, Syracuse and at the USC tournament before its holiday break.

Dartmouth Probable Starters:
*#10    Margaret Smith   G • SR • 6-1 • 5.7 ppg, 7.3 rgg, 71.0 FT Pct.
*#20    Brittney Smith    F • JR • 6-1 • 9.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 1.7 BPG
*#21    Meghan McFee    G • JR • 5-10 • 3.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg
#32    Betsy Williams    G • SR • 6-0 • 7.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 75.0 3FG Pct.
#34    Sasha Dosenko   F • SO • 6-3 • 3.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 50.0 FG Pct.
*Returning starter

QUICK TAKE ON THE BIG GREEN

• Tonight's game marks the first road trip of the 2009-10 season.
• With two players yet to dress due to preseason injuries, Dartmouth has now used all 11 of its available players in the first three games.
• The Big Green has picked up where it left off last season by getting to the free throw line often and keeping its opponents away from it. In just two games, Dartmouth has taken 68 free throws to its opponents 32.
• Dartmouth's freshmen have been thrown into the fire early, with three of the four already seeing significant minutes. Kylie Kufeld has been tested out at point guard and played 25+ minutes in each of the past two games.
• Sophomore Jalea Moses stepped up her game off the bench against Temple, scoring a career high seven points in a high of 18 minutes.
• In each of the first two games, Dartmouth had a player haul in a dozen rebounds, with Margaret Smith doing so against Bryant and Brittney Smith leading the charge against Temple.
• Dartmouth opens the 2009-10 season on the heels of yet another Ivy Championship season in which the team went 18-11 overall and 13-1 in Ivy play. The Big Green played a non-conference schedule rated as high as fourth in the nation in strength of schedule and it paid off down the stretch when the team won 15 of its last 16 games.
• The Big Green returns nine letterwinners and three starters from the 2009-10 squad, almost identical to last year at this point. Dartmouth must replace the All-Ivy duo of Koren Schram '09 and Darcy Rose '09. Junior forward Cassie Cooper is poised to step into Rose's role in the post while senior guard Betsy Williams has plenty of experience, having started nearly half of her career games played.

A FRIENDLY RIVALRY
The Dartmouth-Vermont series dates back to 1975 and ran uninterrupted from 1981-2002. The teams cancelled the annual series in 2003 when Sharon Dawley left her position as Dartmouth's associate head coach (10 years) to take the head coaching job at Vermont. Dartmouth head coach Chris Wielgus and Dawley are good friends who were not eager to face each other across the court. Fate forced a clash in the 2008 WNIT and again in the consolation game of Vermont's tournament last November. It was hard not to embrace the practicality of a local match-up between two strong programs, and the coaches have now renewed the series. Vermont will actually play in Dartmouth's annual Blue Sky Classic Tournament this December, but will not face the Big Green again.

THE BURLINGTON MARATHON
Yes there is a marathon run in Burlington each spring but Dartmouth and Vermont had one of their own last fall on Nov. 23, 2008. One day after the Big Green took Michigan State to overtime, Dartmouth and Vermont battled for an epic 55 minutes in a triple overtime affair. Vermont, which benefitted from heroic shots near the end of regulation and each overtime, was eventually victorious, 82-77. Four Dartmouth players scored in double-figures and three hauled in 10+ rebounds as the Big Green won the battle of the boards, 56-45. The Big Green came back from a three point halftime deficit to outscore the Catamounts, 38-35, in the second half - forcing a 59-59 tie at the end of regulation. The triple overtime contest was the first in program history for Dartmouth.

THE BIG GREEN WANDERERS
Dartmouth plays its first road game of the 2009-10 season tonight, embarking on a stretch of 36 days without a home game. The Big Green will not be back at Leede Arena until the Blue Sky Classic on Dec. 29-30. Last season, Dartmouth endured a stretch of 40 days without a road game. After the Vermont game, the Big Green has a quick turnaround, flying to Big East foe Cincinnati on Friday for a game on Sunday on Nov. 29. Dartmouth faces Stony Brook and Syracuse on the road after exams (Dec. 11 & 13) before heading west to the University of Southern California's pre-holiday tournament (Dec. 19 & 20). The Big Green plays the host USC in the opening game.

READY FOR A REST
Because of Dartmouth's long Ivy League exam period, the Big Green is forced to cram an extra game into its first two weeks, before a layoff from Nov. 30 - Dec. 10. The Big Green is in the midst of a stretch of five games in 16 days, which will be capped at Cincinnati on Nov. 29. The team gets back to it with a bang, playing Stony Brook and Syracuse just one day apart, on Dec. 11 and Dec. 13, respectively.

SOLID SECOND HALF
Dartmouth played a much improved second half in the loss to Hartford, shooting 41.2 percent from the floor while trailing 35-27 for the period. The Hawks scored eight points in the final minute and a half, without which, the teams would have been tied in scoring for the half.

FRESHMEN MAKING THEIR MARK
Three of Dartmouth's four rookies have made their collegiate debut in the first three games of the season. Kylie Kufeld was the only freshman to play against Bryant, logging 13 minutes. She stepped it up against Temple and Hartford, playing 26 and 25 minutes, respectively, and helping run the point. Faziah Steen made her first appearance against Temple, scoring six points in 15 minutes and Kelsey Byrd, coming off an injury, played five minutes. Byrd scored her first collegiate points in six minutes against Hartford. The fourth freshman, Zakia Lghzaoui, has yet to dress for a game.

Schedules