Women's Basketball Opens New Year with Holy Cross

The Big Green women's basketball team ends its three-game homestand by welcoming Holy Cross to Leede Arena for its first game of the New Year. This is the third consecutive season the Big Green and Crusaders have squared off to open the New Year.

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Game 11: Dartmouth (1-11, 0-0 Ivy League) vs. Holy Cross (6-6, 0-0 Patriot League)
Date: Thursday, January 3 (7:00 p.m.)
Location: Hanover, N.H. (Leede Arena)
Series: Holy Cross leads, 6-3
Streak: Holy Cross has won one

Starting Five
1. Dartmouth and Holy Cross meet to open the New Year for the third consecutive season. The teams played last season on the exact same date, Jan. 3, 2012. The Crusaders won the contest, 65-63, in Worcester.

2. The Big Green and Crusaders are meeting for the eighth consecutive season in Thursday's contest. Dartmouth leads the series, 6-3, but dropped its first game to the Crusaders in three tries last season in a thriller at Holy Cross' Hart Center.

3. Dartmouth is looking to get back in the win column after going winless in the month of December. This is the second consecutive season the Big Green have gone winless in Dec, as they also didn't win a game in Dec. last season.

4. The Big Green are looking to pick up their first home win this season. Dartmouth is 0-5 at Leede Arena after dropping two games in the Blue Sky Classic. The last home win for Dartmouth was an 87-52 win over Columbia on March 3 of last season.

5. Dartmouth is looking to snap its current 11-game losing streak. After winning its season-opener at Bryant (Nov. 10) Dartmouth has dropped nine consecutive games. Last season, Dartmouth had a 13-game losing streak, the longest in program history.

Dartmouth vs. Holy Cross Notables
-This is the eighth meeting between the Big Green and Crusaders and is the second consecutive meeting between the teams to open the New Year. Dartmouth leads the series 6-3, but dropped its last contest to Holy Cross in Worcester last season.

-Dartmouth is the fourth Ivy League opponent on the Crusader schedule this season Holy Cross opened the season with a win over Yale and dropped a contest to Harvard. In addition to Dartmouth, Holy Cross will also play Brown. In addition to the Ivy League foe, the teams have common opponents in New Hampshire, UMass, Bryant and Northeastern.

-Holy Cross is the lone Patriot League opponent on the Big Green's schedule. Last season, Dartmouth played Patriot League opponents Colgate and Holy Cross.

A Win Would ...
1. Give Dartmouth head coach Chris Wielgus her 389th win at Dartmouth. She entered the 2012-13 season needing 13 wins to claim her 400th victory as head coach of the Big Green.

2. Snap the Big Green's 11-game skid and give Dartmouth first win at Leede Arena this season. The Big Green enters this weekend with a 0-5 record on their home floor.

3. Give Dartmouth its first win over a Patriot League for since defeating Colgate last season. The win would also give the Big Green its third win in the last four meetings against Holy Cross.

Scouting Holy Cross
Holy Cross enters Thursday's game with a 6-6 record after defeating splitting games in Florida. The Crusaders lost to Florida, 81-50, and defeated Bethune Cookman, 63-54. Alex Smith leads the offense with 14.9 points per game and is one of three Crusaders in double-figures. Christine Ganser leads the defensive efforts with 5.8 rebounds per game. Head coach Bill Gibbons is in his 28th season at the helm of the program. Last season, he became the 24th active coach in Division I to record at least 500 career victories.

Happy New Year!
The Big Green will ring in the New Year at the friendly confines of Leede Arena for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Dartmouth will take on Holy Cross for the third consecutive season to open the New Year and has won two of the last three meetings.

Home Sweet Home
The Holy Cross game marks the end of Dartmouth's three-game homestand, its longest of the non-conference. Dartmouth is looking for its first home win since March 3 of last season.

Zimmer Back in Double Figures
For the first time in the last five games, Nicola Zimmer (Chevy Chase, Md.) was in double figures with a team-best 11 points against Duquesne. It was Zimmer's first game with double figures since she scored 17 against Old Dominion on Dec. 2. Zimmer has been in double figures in three contests this season.

Roland Sets Career High With Nine Rebounds
Freshman forward Lakin Roland (Jeffersonville, Ind.) pulled down a career-best nine rebounds in Dartmouth's last contest against Villanova. Roland's previous high was five rebounds against Old Dominion on Dec. 2.

Steen Picks Up 200th Steal
With her two steals against Duquesne and three steals against Villanova, Faziah Steen (Detroit, Mich.) recorded her 200th steal. She is one of seven players to record at least 200 steals in program history. Betsy Gilmore is Dartmouth's all-time leader in steals with 370.

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