Women's Basketball Picks Up Eighth Win Over Rhode Island, 54-44

Tuesday, December 30

Kingston, R.I.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

8-5

Rhode Island

8-4

Dartmouth

Rhode Island

Women's Basketball Picks Up Eighth Win Over Rhode Island, 54-44

12/30/2014 9:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

KINGSTON, R.I. — Junior Lakin Roland and sophomore Fanni Szabo each scored 16 points as the Dartmouth Big Green held on to defeat Rhode Island, 54-44, on Tuesday evening at the Ryan Center.

The win guarantees Dartmouth (8-5) an over .500 non-conference record in head coach Belle Koclanes' second season at the helm. The last time the Big Green finished with a positive win/loss record heading into Ivy League play was in 2005-06 when the team had a 7-3 record before meeting Harvard on Jan. 7. The team added two more non-Ivy wins to finish 9-4 in the 14-game exhibition.

"We challenged our team after the Niagara win," Koclanes said after the win. " We have the ability with our roster this season to put together different types of matchups."

Roland 16-point performance was also her sixth double-double of the year as she finished with a team-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore Katie Vareika put in her fourth double-figure performance of the season with 12 points all from the outside in 28 minutes off the bench. Senior Milica Toskovic added five points and eight rebounds.

The Big Green finished the contest shooting 37 percent from the field and made seven three-point baskets.

"We need scoring threats out on the perimeter and Katie Vareika is a real shooting threat. Lakin added it over the summer and Fanni continues to help," Koclanes said.

It took nearly three minute for the either team to score, but junior center Daisy Jordan broke the scoreless tie with a layup at 17:11 to give Dartmouth the 2-0 lead. Rhode Island's Charise Wilson scored the next five points for the Rams, who led for just two minutes and 11 seconds before Dartmouth took over and led for next 14 minutes.

A transition layup by Szabo off a pick by Toskovic began an 11-0 run by the Big Green who took a 13-5 lead after back-to-back-to-back three-pointers by Vareika and two by Szabo. Vareika continued her hot hand from the outside and gave the Green and White a nine-point lead, 16-7, at 11:21 left with the squad's fourth consecutive trifecta.

The visitors took a double-digit lead (19-8) after Roland hit the front end of a pair from the line, but successfully corralled her missed free throw and turned it into a two points on a jumper by senior Tia Dawson after the team moved the ball around with a fresh shot clock.

Dartmouth increased the lead at 9:20 on Vareika's third rainbow of the night to a 14-point edge 22-8. On their next possession, the visitors took their largest lead, 24-8, on a jumper by Roland.

The game went scoreless for the next five minutes, but a jump shot by Szabo gave Dartmouth a 16-point lead once again, 26-10. Both sides traded a basket until Roland's lamp-lighter from the outside put the Big Green ahead by 17 at the break, 31-14.

Szabo led all scorers with 10 points at the half. Vareika and Roland had nine and eight points respectively, as the team shot 44 percent from the field and forced 11 turnovers with resulted in eight points.

Rhode Island's 14-point first half was the lowest Dartmouth has allowed this season. The previous half-low was 16 points against Cal Poly on Nov. 28.

Szabo scored quickly for the Big Green in the second half to put Dartmouth up by 19 points (35-16). After a free throw by URI's Symone Bullard at 17:51, the game saw just seven total points scored over the next 11:30 when Brianna Thomas hit a pair from the line. Despite the free throws, Dartmouth still held a 37-23 lead with 9:21 left.

Dartmouth held its double-digit until Tayra Melendez hit a jumper with 1:05 left to make it a 49-40 game. Roland regained an 11-point lead for the Big Green, but Rhode Island scored three straight points to cut the deficit to eight twice in the final 40 seconds but Toskovic finished the game with a pair from the line to give Dartmouth a 10-point victory.

Melendez led Rhode Island with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Wilson added 11 points for the Rams who finished 27 percent from the floor. The loss snapped Rhode Island's seven-game winning streak as the Rams finish non-conference play 8-4 and will A-10 foe Duquesne on Jan. 3.

Dartmouth will return to Hanover to host its final non-conference game of the season against Oakland on Jan. 2, 2015 at 2 p.m.