Women's Basketball Drops Overtime Heartbreaker at Columbia

Friday, February 19

New York, N.Y.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Columbia

Women's Basketball Drops Overtime Heartbreaker at Columbia

2/19/2010 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

NEW YORK - The Dartmouth women's basketball team lost its second straight overtime contest, this time at Columbia, 66-59.

Dartmouth (9-13, 4-4 Ivy) came back from a three-point halftime deficit to outscore Columbia (15-8, 6-3 Ivy) by three in the second half, forcing overtime after a 53-53 tie in regulation. The Big Green had several chances to win the game late, including a scramble in the final minute when the bench was shouting for a timeout but one was not granted.

Columbia got an edge and hit its late free throws to ultimately take the game in overtime, 66-59.

Sasha Dosenko (Kiev, Ukraine) scored a career high 19 points and had a team-high nine rebounds. She was joined in double figures by Faziah Steen (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and Betsy Williams (Norwich, Vt.) with 11 points each.

Dartmouth cost itself the game in regulation with 25 turnovers and a woeful 13-of-24 performance at the free throw line. The Big Green did shoot 40 percent from the floor to the Lions' 33.8 percent. Columbia held a 44-42 advantage on the boards, the first Ivy team to outrebound Dartmouth this year.

The Big Green led by as many as five points with 8:04 to play in the second half, but saw the lead dwindle late and the teams traded buckets in the final minutes. Dartmouth was up, 53-50 with 2:06 to play after a Williams free throw before Columbia's Judie Lomax hit one of two at the line. Dartmouth had a total scramble on the next possesion, including four missed shots while Coach Wielgus desparately tried to get a timeout.

Columbia's Danielle Brown hit two free throws to tie it with 46 seconds to play and Dartmouth ultimately could not get a good look to tie it.

After Dartmouth took an early 57-54 lead in overtime with buckets from Dosenko and Steen, Columbia rallied to tie it, going on a 10-0 run to lead, 64-57 with 19 seconds to play, all but ending the game.

Dartmouth trailed early in the contest, down 12-4 at 10:50 after nine straight points by Columbia's Melissa Shaafer. The Big Green answered with an 11-0 run of its own started by Meghan McFee (Manchester, Conn.) and featuring buckets by four different players. Dosenko capped it with a three-point play to make it 15-12 at 5:35. Columbia answered with a 6-0 run before Dosenko scored inside to pull within one, 18-17, at 3:36. The teams traded buckets and the game was tied at 23-23 with just 53 seconds to play. Columbia's Caitlin Stachon made an imporbable play before the half, hitting the first of two free throws and eventually winding up with her own rebound, hitting a jumper to make it 26-23 at the half.

Columbia opened the second half with five unanswered points to go ahead 31-23 within the first minute. Dartmouth buckled down and rattled off a 9-0 run of its own, capped by a Dosenko three to make it 32-31 at 15:35. The Lions responded with an 8-3 run to make it 39-35 at 12:08. The back-and-forth continued when Michelle Meyer (Covington, Ohio) hit two at the line and McFee drained a three followed by a Dosenko layup for six unanswered to make it 42-39 at 9:09.

Dosenko scored twice more inside to extend the Big Green advantage to 46-41 at 8:04 before the Lions got it right back with five unanswerwed including a Lomax bucket to make it 46-46 at 6:45. Both teams were wearing down late, each scoring just seven points from that point on. Danielle Browne gave Columbia a 50-49 lead at 3:49. Brittney Smith stole the ball on the next possession and her sister, Margaret Smith (Fort Worth, Texas) put Dartmouth up, 51-50 at 2:42. Two free throws put the Green ahead 53-50 with 2:06 to play, but the Lions ultimately hit their free throws to tie the game at the end of regulation.

Dartmouth heads North to Cornell for a 7 p.m. tip tomorrow night.