Dartmouth Women No Match for #14 Michigan State

Saturday, December 18

East Lansing, Mich.

1:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Michigan State

Dartmouth Women No Match for #14 Michigan State

12/18/2010 2:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Fourteenth ranked Michigan State won its ninth straight game to send the shorthanded Dartmouth women's basketball team packing, 88-33, this afternoon at the Breslin Center.

The last time Dartmouth (3-7) and Michigan State (11-1) met (Nov. 22, 2008) the Big Green jumped out to a 9-0 lead and pushed the Spartans to overtime before falling, 60-52.

This time, the opening and the outcome were decidedly different. It was #14 Michigan State that opened with a big run, going up 11-0 and never looking back in the 88-33 win.

The Spartans converted 28 Dartmouth turnovers into 40 points in what proved a major determining factor in the game.

Dartmouth was led by sophomore Kelsey Byrd (Saratoga, Calif.), who posted 11 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. Senior Cassie Cooper (Chelsea, Maine) added eight points and a team high seven rebounds while Michigan native Faziah Steen (Kalamazo, Mich.) was the target of double-teams and scored six points in her return home. Michigan State had three players in double figures led by Taylor Alton's 14 off the bench.

The Spartans led 11-0 by the 17:33 mark before Cooper got the Big Green on the board with two made free throws at 15:48. Dartmouth had kept Michigan State from scoring for nearly three minutes before the Spartans rattled off a 10-0 run to go up 21-2 after a Taylor Alton jumper. Byrd and Steen combined for a quick 4-0 run for Dartmouth to stop the bleeding down 21-6 at 10:15.

The Big Green got stops defensively during the next stretch and also got some good looks offensively but was unable to hit shots to keep pace. The Spartans inflated the lead to more than 20 before a Steen three made it 28-10 at 6:26. Dartmouth started attacking inside in the final four minutes and managed to score 10 points during that stretch including six-straight from Byrd to end the half. The Spartans outscored the Big Green 12-10 in the final 3:45 however, including three triples as they looked to put the game out of reach before halftime, up 48-20.

Michigan State used 11 different players in the first half alone and forced 16 Dartmouth turnovers, but the Big Green kept it close on the boards, trailing by just a 23-20 margin.

The Spartans opened the second half on an 8-2 run interrupted only by a pair of free throws by Janelle Ross (Inglewood, Calif.). Michigan State outrebounded Dartmouth, 8-1 in the first four minutes to help build the 56-22 lead at 15:30. The Spartans continued to build their advantage, ultimately going on a 9-3 run in which Dartmouth got a three from Byrd, but trailed 63-25 at 12:06.

Michigan State extended that run to outscore Dartmouth 19-5 for a 73-27 lead before Cooper stopped what was an 8-0 run with a pair of free throws with 8:06 to play. After the free throws, the Spartans rattled off an 8-0 before Cooper scored again to make it 81-31 at 3:47. Michigan State scored five points in the final minute of play including a bucket with three seconds to go and Dartmouth's last score was a Louise Vanden Bosch layup for the final, 88-33.

The Big Green shot just 22.4 percent for the game compared to 41 percent for the Spartans. The biggest different maker over was rebounding, as Michigan State bounced back after halftime to control the boards 30-14 in the second half, 53-34 overall. Dartmouth committed 28 turnovers in the game while Michigan State had just 11.

Dartmouth is back in action after a holiday break when it hosts its own Blue Sky Classic, featuring Kansas State, Vermont and Wagner on Dec. 29-30.