Ivy Slate Continues with Columbia and Cornell at Home

GAME 16
Dartmouth Big Green, (5-10, 0-2 Ivy League) vs.
Columbia Lions, (10-5, 0-2 Ivy League)
Date: Friday, January 27, 2017 – 7 p.m.
Location: Hanover, N.H. – Leede Arena
All time series: Big Green lead 48-12

GAME 17
Dartmouth Big Green, (5-10, 0-2 Ivy League) vs.
Cornell Big Red, (11-4, 2-0 Ivy League)
Date: Saturday, January 28, 2017 – 6 p.m.
Location: Hanover, N.H. – Leede Arena
All time series: Big Green lead 56-19

THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES
The Dartmouth women's basketball team wraps up the month by hosting Columbia on Friday before squaring off with Cornell in Leede Arena on Saturday.

SCOUTING THE LIONS
Columbia got off to a solid start in non-conference play with 10 victories, but dropped its first two Ivy League games to Empire State rival, Cornell. The Lions' offense is led by junior Camille Zimmerman, who leads the Ancient Eight with 20.5 points per game. She is also third in the Ivy League with 9.6 rebounds per game.

LAST TIME AGAINST COLUMBIA
Behind a 20-plus point performance from Lakin Roland and Kate Letkewicz, the Big Green defeated Columbia, 63-53, in Leede Arena on Feb. 20, 2016. Dartmouth recorded its fourth-straight victory thanks in part to a solid defensive effort from sophomore guard Amber Mixon. This defensive pressure opened the door for the Big Green's top scoring threats Roland and Letkewicz. Roland finished the evening with a team-high 24 points, while Letkewicz scored 20 points and grabbed 10 boards for her fourth double-double of the season.

SCOUTING THE BIG RED
Cornell also got off to a solid start before Ivy League play began with nine non-conference victories. The Big Red currently sit in a three-way tie with Harvard and Penn for first in the league standings with two conference wins. Cornell senior, Nia Marshall leads her team with 15.7 points per game and is also the Big Red's top rebounder with 6.5 boards a game.

LAST TIME AGAINST CORNELL
After leading from the opening tip, Dartmouth defeated Cornell, 60-52 for its third consecutive Ivy League win on Feb. 19, 2016. Roland led the Big Green with 18 points in a contest where Dartmouth went 6 for 12 from beyond the arc and shot 52 percent from the field. The Big Green defense had its hands full with Cornell scoring sensation Marshall, but made key stops to earn the victory.

LAST TIME OUT
Last Saturday Dartmouth hung close with a tough Harvard team for a second consecutive meeting, but the Big Green fell to the Crimson, 70-61 in Leede Arena. Sophomore Isalys “Ice” Quiñones set a new career-high with a team-high 18 points. She also grabbed 11 rebounds for her fourth career double double. Junior Olivia Smith was the only other Dartmouth player to finish the night in double digits in scoring with 14 points. On the other side of the floor, Crimson freshman Katie Benzan led her team with 17 points and eight rebounds.

GETTING IT DONE AT THE CHARITY STRIPE
The Big Green have been a solid free throw shooting team for the majority of the season. Currently Dartmouth is second in the Ancient Eight behind Columbia, shooting 73 percent from the line.

HONORING THE PAST
On Saturday, prior to the Cornell game, the Big Green will honor former head coach Chris Wielgus. The lounge located in the Evans Basketball Suite will be named after Wielgus, who's name is synonymous with Dartmouth basketball. Wielgus is the winningest coach of any women's program in Hanover with a career record of 393-342 (.535). She guided the Big Green to 12 Ivy League titles, seven trips to the NCAA Tournament and two more to the WNIT during her two stints spanning 28 seasons as Dartmouth's head coach. Wielgus will also be honored at halftime during a ceremony in the contest against the Big Red.

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
The Big Green's lone senior, Fanni Szabo has been climbing on some of Dartmouth's all-time records lists. With 1,143 career points, Szabo is in sole possession of 14th in the all-time scoring category. She is also sixth in both three-point field goals made and attempted. Letkewicz has also risen to ninth in three-point field goals, making 103 career shots from beyond the arc.

FINISHING STRONG
Despite facing some trouble in the first quarter of games this season, the Big Green have averaged 15.9 points in the fourth quarter. Dartmouth also holds a slight edge in the third quarter of games in the 2016-17 campaign.

LIVE FROM LEEDE
For the first time in recent years, Big Green basketball returns to the airwaves as each home game will be broadcast live on KOOL FM 93.9/96.3. Brett Franklin will serve as the team's play-by-play broadcaster with Jill Glessner on color commentary.

THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Saturday's contest will also mark the second ESPN3 broadcast from Leede Arena for a women's basketball contest with Eric Berry and Bob Lipman on the call. Fans who subscribe to ESPN with their regular cable subscription can view the broadcast online or with the WatchESPN app on tablet and mobile devices.

PATH TO THE PALESTRA
The inaugural Ivy League men's and women's basketball tournaments will take place Saturday and Sunday, March 11-12, 2017, at the Palestra in Philadelphia. The top four teams will earn berths in the tournament, with the semifinals on Saturday and the championships on Sunday. All six games will be broadcast live on ESPN's networks. For more information, visit www.IvyMadness.com

FOLLOW ALONG
Can't make it to the games? Both contests will be streamed live in HD on the Ivy League Digital Network for subscribers and Saturday's game can also be seen on ESPN3 for cable subscribers. DartmouthSports.com will provide a live stats link for the game and fans are also encouraged to follow the team's official Twitter account @DartmouthWBB for live in-game updates.

LOOKING AHEAD
Dartmouth will hit the road next weekend when the Big Green travel to Princeton on Friday before squaring off with Penn at The Palestra on Saturday.

Schedules