Big Green Drop Conference Opener to Harvard, 56-43

Saturday, January 9

Hanover, N.H.

6:00 PM

Dartmouth College

5-12, 0-1Ivy

Harvard

6-8, 1-0Ivy

Harvard

Dartmouth

Big Green Drop Conference Opener to Harvard, 56-43

1/9/2016 5:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Tour the weight room Lakin Roland Belle Koclanes Olivia Smith Andi Norman James Kruger Stats Photo Gallery PDF Boxscore

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. – Despite a late game comeback, the Dartmouth women's basketball team fell, 56-43 to Harvard in the opening game of Ivy League play at Leede Arena.

With the loss the Big Green drop to 5-12, while the Crimson improve to 6-8.

Senior Lakin Roland continued to be the bright spot on the Big Green offense as she led all scorers with 21 points, going 8 for 17 from the field and 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. Roland's 12 rebounds propelled her to her second double-double on the season.

Dartmouth could not overcome Harvard's powerful offense as four players scored in double figures. Senior AnnMarie Healy poured in 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the double-double for the Crimson.

“We've been talking with our team about competing and practicing at a higher level so that we're better prepared to compete come game time,” said head coach Belle Koclanes. “You see us work really hard and compete at a high level in spurts. You don't see us do it for 40 minutes straight and it's hard to compete at our level when you don't compete the whole way through. We're going to continue to change that and find solutions for that.”

Late in the fourth quarter after Harvard went on a 7-0 run to take 53-34 lead, the Big Green came storming back after back-to-back three pointers by Roland and a trey from sophomore Andi Norman.

After cutting the lead to 10 points, Dartmouth could not complete the comeback when Roland fouled out of the game with 1:22 to play.

“Lakin needs help,” Koclanes said. “Lakin's role is hard because she has to bring it every single day and she knows that, but the bench and her fellow starters have to bring it more as well.”

In the first quarter, a 12-0 Harvard run helped the Crimson take a 15-7 lead. In the second, Harvard added to that lead, but the resilient Big Green closed the gap to trail 28-18 at the half.

After halftime, a key 6-0 run by Dartmouth sparked by a pair of field goals from Roland and a jumper by sophomore Olivia Smith, kept the Big Green in the game. Dartmouth entered the final stanza down 41-29, setting the stage for a comeback that fell just short.

The Big Green will have a week off before returning to action against the Crimson in Cambridge on Jan. 23.