Dartmouth Challenges Princeton Early, Struggles Late

Saturday, January 21

Hanover, N.H.

2:00 PM

Dartmouth College

2-18,0-6Ivy League

Princeton

13-5,4-2Ivy League

Princeton

Dartmouth

Mekkena Boyd ’24

Photo by: Chris Poss

Dartmouth Challenges Princeton Early, Struggles Late

1/21/2023 5:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Highlights

Mekkena Boyd scored a career-high 15 against the preseason Ivy League favorite

By: Kyle Relf

HANOVER, N.H.—The Dartmouth women's basketball team challenged preseason Ivy League favorite Princeton early in Saturday afternoon's battle at Leede Arena, but the Big Green stumbled down the stretch in a 79-59 loss.

Dartmouth led by as many as five in the second quarter and trailed by one at halftime before Princeton's offense hit its stride in the second half. The Tigers improved to 13-5 (4-2), while the Big Green fell to 2-18 (0-6).

Mekkena Boyd's career-high 15 points and team-best seven boards guided Dartmouth. Madison St. Rose equaled Boyd with 15 points, including 13 in the second half, to stave off the upset bid.

Hot shooting was key for Dartmouth early. Mia Curtis ended the first half with a game-high 11 points behind a perfect 3-of-3 showing from the perimeter as the team combined to shoot 5-of-7 from deep. A 17-17 deadlock followed Curtis' buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the opening quarter. The Big Green didn't trail in the second until a 10-4 Princeton run sent the Tigers into the halftime with a 36-35 edge.

Dartmouth held an early 4-2 edge after Olivia Lawlor's layup off a nice find by Victoria Page and though Princeton responded with an 8-2 run, the Big Green stayed within striking distance into the final minutes of the quarter. Allie Harland knocked down a 3-pointer with 33 seconds remaining to bring Dartmouth within one (15-14) and Curtis' clutch buzzer-beating triple from the corner answered a Princeton bucket to tie the game.

Lawlor's basket gave Dartmouth a 19-17 lead at the 9:41 mark of the second. After Princeton's response to tie the game, Curtis knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers. Dartmouth shot better than 50 percent throughout the quarter and Curtis was the catalyst with eight of her 11 points coming in the second. Lawlor scored again at the 4:30 mark to give the Big Green a five-point lead, the largest for either side up to that point. Back-to-back Princeton buckets marked the beginning of a Tigers run that saw Dartmouth trail by the break and falter in the second half.

Princeton shot 60 percent in both the third and fourth quarters to take control after shooting under 40 percent in the first half. The Tigers led by five, 43-38, three minutes into the third quarter after St. Rose's jumper. Grace Niekelski knocked down a triple to bring Dartmouth back within two, but Princeton found back-to-back scores from St. Rose and Paige Morton to continue growing its lead. Dartmouth entered the fourth trailing 56-49 after Maggie Connolly's buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Emma Koch gave Dartmouth the start to the fourth it needed with a triple on the first possession, but the Tigers' offensive dominance continued in the fourth as they poured in 23 over the final 10 minutes to finish off a 79-59 triumph.

The Big Green hit the road for four straight, beginning with Saturday's Ivy League matchup at Columbia. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.