Women's Basketball Closes Homestand with Hartford on Monday

The Dartmouth women's basketball team closes out its three-game homestand on Monday (Dec. 12) when it welcomes the Hartford Hawks to Leede Arena for a non-conference matchup. The Big Green and Hawks will tipoff at 4 p.m. Children ages 12 and under will gain free admission and Dartmouth faculty and staff will gain free admittance with an employee ID.

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Game 8: Dartmouth (2-5, 0-0 Ivy League) vs. Hartford (7-3, 0-0 America East)
Date: Monday, December 12 (4 p.m.)
Location: Hanover, N.H. (Leede Arena)
Series: Hartford leads, 9-6
Streak: Hartford has won six

Starting Five
1. Today's game closes out Dartmouth's season-long three-game homestand. The Big Green won't play more than two consecutive home games the rest of the season and after the Blue Sky Classic (Dec. 29-30) won't host any more non-conference games.

2. Today's meeting marks the fourth consecutive season the Big Green and Hawks have faced each other on the hardwood. The series between the two mid-major teams dates back to the 1993 season.

3. Dartmouth is looking for its first home win of the season after dropping its first two home contests to New Hampshire and Bryant. The Big Green have an all-time record of 285-143 at Leede Arena and are 0-2 at home for the first time since the 2007-08 season when they opened the home slate with three consecutive losses.

4. Big Green freshmen Tia Dawson and Kamala Thompson are quickly becoming Dartmouth's top rebounders. For the season, the pair has combined for 73 of Dartmouth's 244 total rebounds.

5. Kamala Thompson is getting very comfortable in the starting lineup. Starting Dartmouth's last four contests, she is averaging 7.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in those games and posted a career-high 11 rebounds against Bryant.

Dartmouth vs. Hartford Notables
- Dartmouth and Hartford are meeting for the fourth consecutive season and for the sixth time in the last eight seasons. Dartmouth is looking for its first win in the last six meetings. Dartmouth last defeated the Hawks during the 2002-03 season.

-Dartmouth is the first of two Ivy League opponents on Hartford's schedule. The Hawks will take on Harvard on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. in Hartford.

-Hartford junior guard Alex Hall is the lone player on the Hartford roster that hails from New Hampshire. Hall is from Pembroke, N.H., and attended Pembroke Academy.

A Win Would ...
1. Snap Hartford's streak of six consecutive wins over the Big Green. The win would also be Dartmouth's first win over the Hawks since the 2002-03 season.

2. Give the Big Green its first home win of the season. Dartmouth is 0-2 at Leede Arena this season, dropping its first two home games for the first time since the 2007-08 season, when they lost the first three home games.

3. Snap Dartmouth's current three-game skid. The current three-game losing streak is the longest of the season. Last season, Dartmouth had five stretches of three or more consecutive losses.

Scouting Hartford
Hartford enters tonight's game with a 7-3 record and on a two-game winning steak with wins over Boston College and Hofstra. a. Ruthanne Doherty leads the Hawk offense with a team-best 14.4 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game. Teammate Daphne Elliot is also in double figures with 11.5 points per game. The Hawks, defending America East champions, advanced to the semifinals of the preseason WNIT and also claimed the UCF Thanksgiving Classic title with wins over TCU and host UCF. Hartford is coached by former UConn standout, Jennifer Rizzoti who is in her 13th season on the Hartford sideline. Rizzoti is a three-time America East Coach of the Year

Home Sweet Leede Arena
Tonight's game is the final game in Dartmouth's season-long three-game homestand and the Big Green's final chance for a home win before hosting the 35th annual Blue Sky Classic. Dartmouth enters the Hartford game on a three-game losing streak with losses in both of its home games this season. Should Dartmouth drop its contest to Hartford, the next chance for home games will come in the Blue Sky Classic. In recent history, the last time Dartmouth didn't win a home game in November or December was during the 2004-05 season when their first home win came January 8 against Harvard.

Thompson Gets on the Glass
Freshman guard Kamala Thompson is getting acclimated to the college game and it shows. A starter in each of Dartmouth's last four games, Thompson pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds in the loss to Bryant. Additionally, she was one point shy of her first career double-double. Her 11 rebounds makes her the second Big Green player with double figure rebounds, Faziah Steen also had 11 in a win over Vermont (Nov. 22).

Zimmer Time
Sophomore Nicola Zimmer has been a crucial piece of the Dartmouth women's basketball puzzle this season. Zimmer only saw game action in 13 games last season and didn't get back on the court until the second week of the season but she has been steadily improving. After not hitting a field goal in her first two games of the season against St. Joseph's (Nov. 18) and Colgate (Nov. 19), Zimmer has been on a tear and posted a season-high 13 points against Bryant (Dec. 7). She's also perfect from the free throw line (6-of-6) and has hit at least one three-pointer in the last three games. Zimmer is also good at getting her teammates open and leads the Big Green with 20 assists.

Speaking of time, Zimmer has been seeing a lot of it this season. She is averaging 31.5 minutes on the court and against Bryant saw 38 minutes of action. Her career-best in minutes is 45 last season in an overtime contest also against the Bulldogs.

Ross Hits Double Figures
Sophomore Janelle Ross posted her first game in double figures this season with 11 points against Bryant. Ross is averaging 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds off the bench this season. As a freshman, Ross made 15 starts and was in double figures on six occasions.

Schedules