Women's Hoops Survives in Overtime at Bryant, 75-72

Sunday, November 28

Smithfield, R.I.

1:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Bryant

Women's Hoops Survives in Overtime at Bryant, 75-72

11/28/2010 3:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Dartmouth

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Dartmouth shot 80 percent from the free throw line in overtime to take a 75-72 victory over Bryant this afternoon for its second straight win.

The game was a battle from wire-to-wire with 13 lead changes and 14 ties.

Rookie Nicola Zimmer (Chevy Chase, Md.) scored a career-high 18 points including the game-clinching free throws with nine seconds to play. Senior Brittney Smith (Fort Worth, Texas) picked up her second straight double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds and went 5-of-6 from the free throw line at halftime after struggling there during regulation. Zimmer played a full 45 minutes, adding seven rebounds and four steals to her statline.

Senior Cassie Cooper (Chelsea, Maine) was the third Dartmouth (2-4) player in double-figures with 15 points, including a 9-of-10 effort at the charity stripe, along with seven boards, three steals and two blocks. Classmate Louise Vanden Bosch (Kettering, Ohio), making just her third career start, played 44 minutes, scoring eight points and handing out three assists. Bryant (0-5) also had three players in double-digits led by Meredith Soper's 18-point, 15 rebound double-double.

In a game that was marred by a myriad of whistles and players in foul trouble on both sides, Bryant hustled for the entire second half and overtime to take a final 59-48 rebounding advantage. Dartmouth had led on the boards, 26-18 at the half.

The Big Green appeared to have the game locked up in regulation, after Zimmer and sophomore Faziah Steen (Kalamazoo, Mich.) spurred Dartmouth to an 10-2 run to come back from a four-point deficit. The Green led 59-55 after a bucket inside by Smith at 1:58. Bryant's Tierney came up with a huge three with 51 seconds to cut the lead to one before Zimmer hit one of two at the line to put the Big Green up 60-58 with 1:00 to play. After some miscues offensively by Dartmouth, Bryant had the ball on the last possession and Jenniqua Bailey drive to the hoop sent the game to overtime.

Dartmouth jumped out to a 69-62 lead in overtime at 1:30 after Smith poured in five straight points to follow a Cooper jumper. Bryant kept chipping away, however, and an off balance three from Lindsey Hudspeth with 40 seconds to play cut the lead to 73-71. Bryant's Soper hit one at the line to pull her team within one, but Zimmer came up big with the two late free throws for the 75-72 win.

Despite shooting just 30 percent from the field, the Big Green managed a slim 30-29 halftime lead thanks to some heady defensive play down the stretch. Cooper was repeatedly clobbered inside but only managed to get three trips to the free throw line, going a perfect 6-for-6.

Bryant came out strong and seven points from Soper helped the Bulldogs take a 12-6 lead at 14:26 after a Zimmer layup. Dartmouth rallied defensively and kept Bryant scoreless for nearly five minutes to go on a 6-0 run, tying it at 12-12 after four free throws from Cooper and a Faziah Steen (Kalamazoo, Mich.) jumper at 11:10.

Both teams stayed cool and traded buckets but a big three from Meghan McFee (Manchester, Conn.), Dartmouth's only of the half, gave the Green a 21-20 lead at 5:57. The squads each had to deal with key players in foul trouble late and some sloppy play was the result. Bryant rattled off a 6-1 run to go up 26-23 at 4:06, but the Big Green converted 4-of-4 at the line coupled with two steals off the full court press to take a 27-26 lead at 3:32. Dartmouth got its final three points from the line to take the 30-29 lead at the break.

The teams traded buckets in the early goings in the second half, with the game tied three times in the first six minutes. The Bulldogs responded to a Vanden Bosch three with a 4-0 run to go up 41-37 at 12:10, but the Big Green soon enjoyed a 7-0 run of its own including threes from Zimmer and Vanden Bosch to go up 47-43 at 8:59.

Each time one squad made a run, the other had an answer. After Bryant tied the game at 47-47, it kept going ultimately with an 8-0 run to lead 51-47 after a Jenniqua Bailey free throw. The Bulldogs ultimately had a 53-49 advantage at 4:26 before Steen and Zimmer worked their late game magic, spurring that 10-2 run before Bryant rattled off five unanswered to force overtime.

The Big Green is back in action this Wednesday night when it hosts Northeastern at Leede Arena at 7 p.m.