Women's Hoops Faces Oakland in First Game of Michigan Trip

Complete Dartmouth Game Notes (PDF)

Dartmouth plays the first of two games in Michigan this week, as part of a homecoming trip for sophomore Faziah Steen, starting off at Summit league foe Oakland on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m.

The Big Green looks to shake off its loss at Hartford last time out when it opens this two game road swing against the Golden Grizzlies. Dartmouth will head to #14/#17 Michigan State for a 1 p.m. tip on Saturday, Dec. 18. Following the holiday break Dartmouth returns to Hanover to host its own Blue Sky Classic on Dec. 29-30, opening a stretch of four games in seven days.

GAME 9: DARTMOUTH (3-5) at OAKLAND (6-4)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010 • 6:30 PM
Location: Rochester, Mich. • The O'Rena
Dartmouth-Oakland Series: Oakland leads, 1-0
Streak: Oakland +1
Last Meeting: Oakland, 71-60 • 12/15/01, Rochester, Mich.
Of Note: The Big Green and the Grizzlies have met just once on the basketball court, with Oakland winning back in 2001. Dartmouth is no stranger to the state of Michigan, however, making its third trip there since 2001 and fourth since 1997 to bring a player home.

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STARTING FIVE
1. Tonight's game is number 916 in the 38th season of varsity women's basketball at Dartmouth.

2. The Big Green took a tough loss at Hartford last time out after its 11-day break for final exams. The guards led the way for Dartmouth, contributing 31 points compared to 12 by the three post players who saw time.

3. Dartmouth won three straight contests from Nov. 24 - Dec. 1, matching the longest one it pulled together in 2009-10. After the loss at Hartford, the Big Green must start over again in an attempt to equal the 11-game win streak from 2008-09.

4. Both sophomore Kelsey Byrd and freshman Janelle Ross dressed for a game for the first time this season at Hartford on Dec. 12. Each of them saw action, with Ross playing 26 minutes en route to three points and three rebounds and Byrd scoring two points in two minutes.

5. Sophomore Faziah Steen hails from Kalamazoo, Mich. and is playing in a homecoming trip to her home state. She played her high school ball at Detroit Country Day and Oakland was among her final choices for college.

WELCOME HOME
With a roster of 13 players hailing from 10 states and two countries, Dartmouth's team is truly diverse and just one state, California, is home to more than one player. The program has a tradition of bringing their players back to play in their home state. This week's trip (at Oakland, 12/16 and at Michigan State, 12/18) marks a return home for Kalamazoo native Faziah Steen. Steen was an all-state guard for Detroit Country Day, winning state championships as a junior and senior.

A LITTLE MORE ON MICHIGAN
Michigan is one of Dartmouth's more frequently visited states, with the Big Green making its fourth trip here since 1997. Current assistant coach Erin Rewalt '99 hails from Richmond, Mich. and had a homecoming game at Detroit in 1997. Dartmouth played at Oakland as part of a trip for All-Ivy star Katharine Hanks '03 in 2001 and played Michigan and Central Michigan for former player Elise Morrison '07 in 2006.

POST-EXAM BREAK BLUES
Due to its unique four-quarter calendar, each season, Dartmouth must take a break for final exams in early December, generally ranging from 10-12 days. This academic schedule also meant that this year's team had to cram seven games into the first 20 days of the season. Historically the first game back after exams has been a challenge for Dartmouth and with a loss this year at Hartford on Dec. 12, the Big Green is 3-3 in the last six years. Prior to this year, Dartmouth had won two straight.

OFFENSE - DEFENSE, THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE
Dartmouth's numbers in wins versus losses are pretty clear cut this season. If the Big Green scores more than 60 points, it is 3-1 and is 2-0 when shooting better than 40 percent from the floor. If Dartmouth allows fewer than 60 points, it is a victory and the team is 3-0 when allowing the opponent to shoot worse than 39.9 percent. These numbers were particularly apparent in the 60-54 win over Northeastern on Dec. 1. The Big Green shot a season-best 46 percent from the floor while allowing just 32.9 percent shooting from the Huskies.

BENCH COMING UP BIG
The Big Green has not shown great depth this season, with just seven players seeing action on average. However, the bench was the difference-maker in the win over Northeastern. Senior Meghan McFee scored 10 points and added three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 21 minutes of action. Junior Sasha Dosenko scored a season-high 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed four rebounds in 22 minutes.

COOPER THRIVES AGAINST THE BULLDOGS
Senior Cassie Cooper set career-highs in five statistical categories during the win at Bryant including: 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two blocks and 38 minutes. Not a natural shot blocker, Cooper finally broke through with two blocks after having posted one 15 times. Ironically, Cooper's previous career highs in points, rebounds and minutes played had all come against Bryant in the 2009-10 opener before her season-ending injury. The 6-2 forward might not like to play Bryant again, however, as she was fouled hard all day in the 2010 meeting, a 75-72 win, resulting in a 9-of-10 effort at the free-throw line.

WORTH THE WAIT
Senior Louise Vanden Bosch moved into the starting lineup in the win over Vermont on Nov. 24 and has been there since. Prior to this season, the guard had started just one other game in her career. In her first three starts, she averaged 9.3 points and 4.0 rebounds, shooting 52.6 percent from the field. Against Vermont on Nov. 24, Vanden Bosch scored 11 points and played a then career-high 33 minutes. In the next game, the senior added eight points, four rebounds and three assists, playing 44 of a possible 45 minutes to top Bryant in overtime.

AT LEAST SOMEONE TAKES CHARITY
It's no secret that the free throw line has been unkind to Dartmouth as the Big Green is shooting just 57.8 percent, making 89-of-154 attempts. Fortunately its opponents are also connecting on just 66.2 percent of shots from the charity stripe. Senior forward Cassie Cooper is the exception as the only Dartmouth player shooting better than 80 percent from the line, hitting an impressive 84.2 percent (16-of-19). Brittney Smith has taken 40 free throws, nearly twice the next player on the team, but is connecting on just 50 percent.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Brittney Smith picked up Ivy League Player of the Week honors on Nov. 29. It marked her fifth time receiving that honor and her 12th Ivy weekly award. Recording her 26th and 27th career double-doubles, she averaged 20.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 2.5 assists in wins over Vermont and Bryant. Smith shot a staggering 60 percent from the floor and only committed two turnovers while playing 34.5 minutes per game.

OVER THE HUMP IN OVERTIME
Overtime has not been too kind to Dartmouth in recent years and the 75-72 win over Bryant on Nov. 28 was the first overtime win in more than a year. Dartmouth lost both of its overtime games last season and had a three-game losing streak in extra time dating back to a Feb. 28, 2009 loss at Cornell that was the lone Ivy loss in a 13-1 Ivy Championship season. During that year the Big Green was 1-3 in extra time, defeating Princeton, 71-67 on Jan. 30, 2009 but losing to Michigan State in one OT and Vermont in triple OT. The Bryant win was the first overtime victory since that win over Princeton.

GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE
Dartmouth scored 20 second chance points thanks to 17 offensive rebounds against Vermont. That number, 20 points, is the highest by the Big Green or any of its opponents to date this season.

1-800 CONTACTS
In the first five minutes against Marist on Nov. 20, sophomore shooting guard Faziah Steen lost and tore a contact lens. Without a spare lens on hand, she played the rest of the game without it, finishing with seven points, five rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes of work. Back in her natural position after playing point guard last year, Steen is shooting 40.5 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent from three point range including eight three-pointers.

Schedules