Hot-Shooting Big Red Hand Dartmouth First Ivy Loss, 66-61 in Overtime

Friday, February 27

Ithaca, N.Y.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Cornell

Hot-Shooting Big Red Hand Dartmouth First Ivy Loss, 66-61 in Overtime

2/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

Ithaca, N.Y. ? Though out of the Ivy race, Cornell made its season with a 66-61 overtime win over the Dartmouth women's basketball team, handing the Big Green its first Ivy loss.

The loss also ended Dartmouth's 11-game winning streak and seven-game road winning streak. Every time Dartmouth (14-10, 9-1 Ivy) seemed to gain the upper hand, Cornell (10-13, 6-5 Ivy) came through with another big three. The biggest of all came from Lauren Benson with 1:45 to play in overtime, giving the Big Red a 62-61 lead that it would hold onto for the rest of the game. Prior to that, Dartmouth had held the lead for the entire overtime period, building an early 61-57 advantage at the charity stripe. Benson hit a pair of free-throws to pull within two before her game-winning three.

It was another huge three, this time from Virginia McMunigal, that sent the game to overtime. After Koren Schram (Batesville, Ark.) put Dartmouth ahead, 55-51, with 1:37 to play, Allie Fedorowicz broke free for a triple late in the shot clock to cut it to one. Darcy Rose (Fort Collins, Colo.) rebuilt the 57-54 lead from the free-throw line before McMunigal drained a three with 34 seconds to play for the last field goal of regulation. Dartmouth appeared to get fouled on a pair of layup attempts but there was no call and the game went to overtime.

A tremendous second half effort from Dartmouth's seniors, Rose and Schram, was wasted in the loss as late turnovers turned into key chances for Cornell. Ultimately, Rose finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds, after being held scoreless with three boards in the first half. Schram also scored all 13 of her points in the second and Brittney Smith (Fort Worth, Texas), posted in 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

For the first time since Jan. 30, Dartmouth did not have the lead heading into halftime, after getting away from the two traits that have made it successful so far ?? defense and rebounding. The Big Red drained six threes en route to a 30-22 lead at the break. It also marked the first time since Dec. 29 against Boston College that a Dartmouth opponent scored 30 points.

Cornell scored the first five points of the game before Brittney Smith converted a conventional three-point play to make it 5-3 at 17:12. Allie Fedorowicz drained the Big Red's second three of the night to reinflate the lead before Cassie Cooper (Chelsea, Maine) scored inside to make it 8-6 at 12:51.

The Big Red kept on shooting and eventually built a 16-8 lead off back-to-back threes from Lauren Benson and Virginia McMunigal. Dartmouth tried to pound the ball inside but trading twos for threes kept the Cornell lead intact. Betsy Williams (Norwich, Vt.) scored five-straight to cut it to 22-19 at 7:58, but Dartmouth could not get over the hump. The Big Green would go on to score just three more points in the last woeful eight minutes including a Cooper putback at the buzzer. Cornell, managed eight more to take a 30-22 lead.

Dartmouth's seniors came out with a purpose in the second, combining to score nine quick points, cutting the deficit to just 33-31 at 17:45 before a Brittney Smith free throw pulled the Big Green within one. Cornell responded with a 4-0 run, keeping Dartmouth off the scoreboard for five minutes before Rose made it 37-34 with a putback at 11:44.

The Big Green kept chipping away but the Big Red seemed to have a response for every basket before Schram took Dartmouth on a 6-0 run with back-to-back threes to make it 43-42 at 6:50. Shannan Scarselletta hit a pair of free throws before took its first lead, up 46-45 off four-straight from Rose and Smith. The teams traded the lead for the next several minutes before another Schram triple made it 51-49,Dartmouth at 3:40.

Scarselletta answered inside on the next trip down for Cornell before Rose and Schram rebuilt the Dartmouth lead to four, up 55-51, at 1:37. Fedorowicz and McMunigal hit two threes surrounding a pair of free throws by Rose to tie the game, setting up the dramatic finish.

Dartmouth has a quick turnaround before another tough test at Columbia on Saturday night at 7p.m. The Big Green's lead in the Ivy race has dropped to just one game after Harvard defeated the Lions tonight.