Women's Basketball Heads to California for Two-Game Road Swing

The Dartmouth women's basketball team opens its two-game California swing on Friday (Dec. 16) when it takes on Long Beach State at Walter Pyramid. Tipoff between the Big Green and 49ers is set for 7 p.m. (PT). Fans can listen with live audio and livestats available on DartmouthSports.com

Livestats Live Audio

Game 9: Dartmouth (2-6, 0-0 Ivy League) at Long Beach State (3-7, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Friday, December 16 (7 p.m. - PT)
Location: Long Beach, Calif. (Walter Pyramid)
Series: Long Beach State leads, 1-0
Streak: Long Beach has won one

Starting Five
1. Tonight's game is Dartmouth's first game of a two-game road swing through California. The Big Green take on Long Beach State tonight and then head to the Bay area for a matchup with Cal on Tuesday. Dartmouth is making its second trip to California in the last three seasons.

2. Today's meeting is just the second meeting between the Big Green and 49ers. The last time the squads met was during the 1985-86 season in California. Long Beach won that contest 109-46.

3. Dartmouth is looking to snap its current four-game losing streak, which is the longest of the season to date. The Big Green closed the 2010-11 season on a five-game losing streak, which extended to seven games this season. Seven games is the longest losing streak in program history.

4. Big Green freshman Tia Dawson is making a name for herself as Dartmouth's defensive leader. She leads the team in rebounds (6.1/game) and blocked shots (1.5/game). She had a season-best 13 rebounds against Hartford (Dec. 12).

5. Junior guard Faziah Steen scored her 700th career point against Hartford. She now has 711 career points and can become Dartmouth's 16th 1000-point scorer this season by averaging 14.5 points/game.

Dartmouth vs. Long Beach State Notables
- Dartmouth and Long Beach State are meeting for the second time in program history in tonight's contest. The teams last met in 1985-86 with the Big Green making the trip to California. Long Beach State has never traveled to New Hampshire.

- Long Beach is taking on its second Ivy League team this season. The 49ers traveled to New York, New York to take on Columbia over Thanksgiving. Long Beach defeated Columbia, 70-61.

- While Long Beach doesn't have any players from New Hampshire, Dartmouth has three players that hail from the Golden State. Sophomores Janelle Ross (Inglewood) and Eve Zelinger (Palo Alto) and freshman Milica Toskovic (Santa Monica) all call California home.

A Win Would ...
1. Snap Dartmouth's current four-game losing streak and give the Big Green its first win in the month of December. Following the Long Beach State game, Dartmouth has three more chances for wins in the month of December with games against Cal, La Salle and Georgetown. Dartmouth last was winless in December during the 1984-85 season.

2. Even the all-time series with Long Beach State at 1-1 and give the Big Green its first win over a team from California since the 1985-86 season when they defeated Pepperdine in California.

3. Give the Big Green its second road win of the season. Dartmouth defeated Vermont in Burlington, Vt., on Nov. 22 and also has a neutral-site win over Colgate (Nov. 19).

Scouting Long Beach State
Long Beach State enters tonight's game with a 3-7 record after falling, 66-42, to Arizona in its last outing on Sunday (Dec. 11). The 49ers have spent quite a bit of time on the road this season. After opening the season with a 75-43 win over Utah Valley on Nov. 11, the 49ers embarked on a seven-game road trip. Long Beach posted one win in that stretch, a 70-61, win over Ivy League foe, Columbia. The 49ers are 2-0 at Walter Pyramid after earning a 61-58 overtime win over Nevada on Dec. 8. Lone senior Tipesa Moorer, leads the 49er offense and is averaging 11.3 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game. Ella Clark leads Long Beach on the glass with 6.0 rebounds per game. Head coach Jody Wynn is in her third season as head coach.

California Dreamin'
Dartmouth hits the road for the first time in the last three games when it heads to the West Coast for a two-game swing through California. Dartmouth last traveled to California during the 2009-10 season for the Southern California tournament. Dartmouth will start the road swing in South California against Long Beach State and head north to take on Cal on Tuesday. During head coach Chris Wielgus' tenure at Dartmouth the Big Green have traveled to California on three occasions prior to this season's trip.

This road trip also marks the sixth road or neutral site game for the Big Green this season. Dartmouth is coming off a three-game homestand, which is its longest stay at home during the season.

Cali Girls
The trip to California will serve as a homecoming for several Dartmouth players. Big Green sophomores Janelle Ross and Eve Zelinger as well as freshman Milica Toskovic hail from California. Ross and Toskovic hail from Southern California, with Ross residing in Inglewood and Toskovic coming from Santa Monica while Zelinger is from up the coast in Palo Alto. As a bonus, the teams will practice at Zelinger's high school and have a meal at her home before taking on Cal on Tuesday (Dec. 20).

Steen Climbing the Charts
Junior guard Faziah Steen picked up her 700th point in Dartmouth's loss to Hartford in its last outing. Steen, currently with 711 career points, is well on her way to becoming Dartmouth's 16th 1,000-point scorer and needs just 289 more points to reach the milestone. In order to reach that milestone this season she will need to average 14.5 points per game over Dartmouth's remaining 20 contests. Steen, who entered the season with an 11.2 career scoring average, has scored over 200 points in each of her seasons at Dartmouth.

Dawson Doubles Up
Center Tia Dawson continues to improve throughout her freshman season. Dawson has started each game for the Big Green this season and picked up her first career double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds against Hartford (Dec. 12). Her 13 rebounds are the most rebounds for a Dartmouth player this season and the most for a Dartmouth player since Sasha Dosenko had 19 rebounds against Princeton last season. Additionally, Dawson becomes the second player to record a double-double this season. Faziah Steen posted a career-high 32 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Vermont (Nov. 22).

Keeping It Balanced
One of Dartmouth's strengths this young season has been balance. While only one player, Faziah Steen, is averaging double figures with 14.8 points, the rest of the team is also contributing. The Big Green have five players averaging at least 4.0 points per game and six of Dartmouth's 10 players that have seen action this season are averaging at least 3.0 rebounds per game. Against Hartford (Dec. 12), Dartmouth had eight of its nine available players score at least one point and grab at least one rebound. In Dartmouth's win over Vermont (Nov. 22) each of Dartmouth's players recorded at least one point and one rebound.

Schedules