Dartmouth Falls to Providence in Non-Conference Matinee

Saturday, November 26

Providence. R.I.

2:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Providence College

Dartmouth Falls to Providence in Non-Conference Matinee

11/26/2011 4:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Dartmouth

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -Freshmen Kamala Thompson (Seldon, N.Y.) had 12 points to lead the Big Green offense but the Dartmouth women's basketball team couldn't stop the Friars in the second half, falling 63-48 to the BIG EAST squad on Saturday (Nov. 26) at Providence's Alumni Hall/Mullaney Gymnasium.

Freshman Tia Dawson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) joined Thompson in double figures with a career-best 10 points for her first career game in double figures. Dawson also tallied a team-best eight rebounds while leading scorer junior Faziah Steen (Detroit, Mich.) added nine points. Dartmouth (2-3) struggled from the floor shooting, 26.4 percent (14-of-53) for the game while the Friars shot 39.6 percent (21-of-53) for the contest. Dartmouth was also outrebounded for the first time in its last two games, losing the battle of the boards, 46-30.

Out of the halftime break, a triple from Steen gave the Big Green a 29-28 lead but Providence (3-3) utilized a 13-6 run to open the second half and took a 41-32 lead at the first media timeout of the second stanza. The Friars, not known for being s strong three-point shooting team, rode the hot hand of Chandler McCabe, who hit four triples, including three in the second half. The Big Green struggled from the floor shooting, 26.4 percent (14-of-53) for the game while the Friars shot 39.6 percent (21-of-53) for the contest.

Dartmouth looked like it had one more run left in the tank as the game winded down. At the 5:34 mark of the second half, Dartmouth used a bucket from Dawson and two foul shots from Thompson to cut the lead to 58-45, but that was as close as the Big Green would get falling for the first time in two games. The Big Green featured a balanced offense with seven of the nine players that played scoring points and grabbing a rebound.

Both teams had a slow start from the floor in a physical contest but it was the Friars that took an early 11-4 lead behind the play of post players Teya Wright and Lauren Okafor who accounted for Providence's first seven points. The Big Green settled down and was able to get into an offensive rhythm midway through the half.

Dartmouth climbed into the game by driving to the basket and forcing turnovers. The Big Green used a 9-0 run, sparked by a triple from sophomore Eve Zelinger (Palo Alto, Calif.) of the bench, and jumped out to a 26-19 lead forcing the Friars to burn a timeout ahead of the four-minute media timeout.

The Friars wouldn't go away and utilized a 12-2 run over the final three minutes of the half and hit a bucket at the buzzer to take a 28-26 halftime lead. The Big Green did a good job of neutralizing leading scorer Teya Wright in the first half, keeping her to just five first half points while Dawson led the Dartmouth offense with six points and five rebounds.

The Big Green defense was again outstanding and forced Providence into 10 first half turnovers while committing a season-low seven in the first frame.

Dartmouth opens the 2011-12 home campaign on Wednesday (Nov. 26) when it welcomes rival, New Hampshire, to Leede Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Fans can follow the action with live video and audio at DartmouthSports.com.

Big Green Sidelines

-This is the first time Dartmouth has played a team from the BIG EAST since the 2009-10 season when they played both Syracuse and Cincinnati.

-The last team from a BCS conference that the Big Green played was Providence, a win in Hanover.

-Kamala Thompson made her second consecutive start in today's contest.

-Today's game was the first game this season that junior Faziah Steen wasn't Dartmouth's leading scorer.