Heartbreak in Season Finale Loss to Harvard, 62-55

Tuesday, March 8

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

HARVARD

Bulldogs Outgun Big Green in Tough Ivy Loss

Heartbreak in Season Finale Loss to Harvard, 62-55

3/8/2011 9:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

By: Dartmouth

BOXSCORE

HANOVER, N.H. - The Dartmouth women's basketball team turned in one of its most balanced efforts of the season but came up short in a 62-55 loss to Harvard in the season finale.

After trailing by 12 midway through the second half, Faziah Steen (Kalamazoo, Mich.) put Dartmouth (7-21, 3-11 Ivy) within one, down 52-51 with just over two minutes to play. Harvard (18-10, 10-4 Ivy) hit its free throws down the stretch, however, to take the win and second place in the Ancient Eight.

Steen finished 14 points to lead a trio of double-digit scorers along with Meghan McFee (Manchester, Conn.) and Sasha Dosenko with 11 points each. Freshman Christine Clark led Harvard with 19 points while Brogan Berry finished with 17.

It was the final career game for Dartmouth's four seniors: Cassie Cooper (Chelsea, Maine), McFee, Brittney Smith (Fort Worth, Texas) and Louise Vanden Bosch (Kettering, Ohio). Smith has been injured since Dec. 1 but the other three all started for Dartmouth as they have the past six games.

Cooper had a game-high 11 rebounds along with six points to lead Dartmouth to a 45-44 rebounding edge as a team while Vanden Bosch finished with six points, six boards.

The teams traded buckets in the early goings as Dartmouth's offense got points from four different players and built a 10-6 lead after Janelle Ross (Inglewood, Calif.) hit a smooth jumper but the Crimson went on a quick 5-0 run capped by a Berry triple for an 11-10 lead with 13:30 on the clock.

Dartmouth's defense turned the Crimson over on consecutive possessions, but did not get a lead until 10:20 when Vanden Bosch made it 12-11 with a nice drive. The teams traded buckets and Sasha Dosenko put the Green back up 14-13 at 8:40 but Harvard's Miriam Rutzen banked in an awkward looking three for a 16-14 Crimson lead at 8:06.

The Big Green's offense was stone cold but thankfully the defense kept things close. Vanden Bosch finally got Dartmouth back on the board after a five-minute drought, starting a quick 4-0 run when an Eve Zelinger (Palo Alto, Calif.) jumper tied it up, 18-18 with 2:27 to go.

Clark gave Harvard a two-point lead at the free throw line but Steen made a nice move to pick Clark's pocket on the next drive, going full court to tie it at the half, 20-20.

Dartmouth had a burst of momentum to open the second half on a 5-2 run starting with a three-point play from Steen to go up 25-22 at 17:56. The Crimson responded with a 9-0 tear, however including five straight from Lippert and capped by a Markley free throw 32-25 at 15:45. Cooper was sent to the bench with her third foul at 17:30 on a play where she appeared to have gotten all ball, dealing a big blow to the Green's inside game.

The Big Green stopped the bleeding with a Dosenko bucket to start a 4-0 run that made it a possession game, down 32-29 with 14:18 on the clock. Dartmouth let Harvad right back in it, however, and the Crimson rattled off another 9-0 run including back-to-back threes from Clark for a 41-29 lead with 11:19 to play.

Dartmouth came out of a media timeout to go on an 8-2 run, started by a triple from McFee and capped with a conventional three-point play by Steen to slice the lead to just 43-37 with 8:26 on the clock. The teams continued to trade buckets as Dartmouth kept pace with the Crimson, who also maintained a six-point lead. Dosenko finally got the Big Green closer with a three-point play to make it 48-44 at 4:25.

After the Crimson went ahead six, Cooper hit four straight at the line to make it a two-point game, down 50-48 with 3:35 on the clock. After another Harvard bucket, Steen made a huge play, hitting her first three in the last three games to cut the lead to 52-51 with 2:43 on the clock. The Big Green gave up four straight to the Crimson, however, but McFee hit two at the line to make it a 56-53 deficit at 1:11.

Harvard made a stop and Berry hit two from the stripe to put the Crimson up by five but McFee drained a jumper with 25 seconds to play to keep it a one-possession game, down 58-55. Dartmouth did a great job to trap on Harvard's ensuing inbounds play and Steen was sent to the deck hard but no foul was called and Harvard's Matera was later fouled, hitting two free throws for a five-point lead.

Berry gave Harvard all the cushion it would need at the line for the final, 62-55 Crimson win.