Big Green Welcome Penn-Princeton in Final Home Weekend

The Dartmouth women's basketball team closes out the 2012-13 home slate with weekend dates with Penn and Princeton. The Big Green will take on Penn Friday night and will close the weekend against Princeton on Saturday night.

Game 24: Dartmouth (6-17, 4-5 Ivy League) vs. Penn (14-9, 7-2 Ivy League)
Date: Friday, March 1 (7:00 p.m.)
Location: Hanover, N.H. (Leede Arena)
Series: Dartmouth leads, 42-26
Streak: Penn has won four

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Game 25: Dartmouth (6-17, 4-5 Ivy League) vs. Princeton (18-5, 9-0 Ivy League)
Date: Saturday, March 2 (7:00 p.m.)
Location: Hanover, N.H. (Leede Arena)
Series: Dartmouth leads, 43-26
Streak: Princeton has won seven

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Starting Five

1. The Big Green look to close the home slate strong after dropping its last four games. Dartmouth can avoid back-to-back sweeps from Penn with a win and also snap a seven-game skid to league leader, Princeton.

2. Dartmouth is looking to bounce back after dropping its first two Ivy League home games of the season last weekend. The Big Green enters the weekend with a 2-2 Ivy League home record and a 2-7 overall record at Leede Arena.

3. In addition to celebrating senior guard Faziah Steen, the Big Green will welcome home alumnae for its annual Alumni weekend. The former Big Green players will be recognized at the Princeton game on Saturday.

4. Sophomore Tia Dawson looks to continue her success on the defensive end of the court. She is averaging 8.2 rebounds per game, a number that balloons to 9.0 against Ivy League foes. She is also Dartmouth's resident shot blocker and currently has 79 career blocks which ranks her ninth all-time at Dartmouth.

5. The Big Green have a chance to improve on last season's Ivy League record. With just one more win in their final five games, Dartmouth would have its most Ivy League wins since 2009-10. Should the Big Green win out, it would be the most wins since 2008-09.

Dartmouth vs. Penn Notables
-This is the second meeting between the Big Green and Quakers. Penn took the first meeting, 63-40, in Philadelphia two weeks ago. The win was the third consecutive for the Quakers over the Big Green. Penn last had a three-game win streak from 2002-03 through 2003-04.

-The last time these two teams met in Leede Arena, the game went to overtime with the Quakers pulling out the, 73-63, win. The Big Green closed regulation on a 9-1 run to force overtime.

Dartmouth vs. Princeton Notables
-Saturday's meeting between Dartmouth and Princeton pits teacher against student, as Princeton head coach, Courtney Banghart starred at Dartmouth from 1996-2000 and also served as an assistant coach for the Big Green.

-Dartmouth leads the all-time series, 43-26, but the Tigers have won each of the last seven meetings. The Big Green gave Princeton a game in the first meeting, dropping the contest by 12 points but those 12 points marked the slimmest margin of victory for the Tigers in a conference game in over a year.

A Win Would ...
1. Give Dartmouth head coach Chris Wielgus her 394th win as Dartmouth head coach. She entered the 2012-13 season needing 13 wins to claim her 400th victory as head coach of the Big Green.

2. One win would snap Dartmouth's current four-game slide and keep the Big Green in the middle of the pack in the Ivy League standings. A win against Princeton would snap the Tiger's 11-game winning streak and a weekend sweep would give Dartmouth its first weekend sweep since downing Brown and Yale to open February.

3. Should the Big Green sweep the weekend it would mark the second consecutive season the Big Green will have closed the home slate with a sweep. Last season, Dartmouth defeated both Cornell and Columbia to close the home slate. Additionally, a win over Princeton would mark the second consecutive Dartmouth win on Eve Zelinger's birthday.

Scouting Penn
Penn enters the weekend with a 14-9, 7-2 Ivy League record after wins over Cornell and Columbia last weekend. Penn has won five consecutive games and is firmly in second place in the Ivy League standings with five games left on their schedule, including a showdown with league leader, Princeton on March 12 to close the season. Alyssa Baron and potential Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Keiera Ray, lead the Penn offense. Baron is averaging 14.0 points per game while Ray is contributing 10.8 points per game, a number that rises to 13.7 in Ivy League action. Ray was named U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Player of the Week on Feb. 19 becoming the first Ivy League Player to earn the national honor. Baron also leads the rebounding efforts with 6.8 boards per game while Katy Allen is contributing 5.0 per game. Head coach Mike McLaughlin is in his fourth season on the Penn sidelines.

Scouting Princeton
The Ivy League leading, Princeton Tigers make their way to Hanover on Saturday night with an 18-5, 9-0 Ivy League record after sweeping Columbia and Cornell last weekend. Princeton will take on Harvard on Friday night before making the trip to Leede Arena. The Tigers enter the weekend as winners of 11 straight and 33 consecutive Ivy League wins, a new conference record. Niveen Rasheed leads the offense with 17.0 points per game and is the lone Tiger averaging double-figures. Although against Ivy League foes, Megan Bowen and Blake Dietrick are averaging 10.2 and 10.0 points, respectively. Rasheed also leads the way on the glass with 9.1 rebounds per game Kristen Helmstetter is Princeton's second leading rebounder with 5.0 rebounds per game. Dartmouth graduate and New Hampshire native, Courtney Banghart is in her sixth season at the helm of the Tiger program.

Schedules