Dartmouth Opens Ivy League Play Saturday at Penn

Saturday, January 6

Philadelphia, Pa. / The Palestra

2:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Penn

Photo by: Justin Lafleur

Dartmouth Opens Ivy League Play Saturday at Penn

1/5/2024 11:12:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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Saturday marks the third of four straight road games for the Big Green

By: Justin Lafleur

GAME 14
Dartmouth (4-9, 0-0 Ivy League) at Penn (8-7, 0-0 Ivy League)
Date: Saturday, January 6, 2023 – 2 p.m.
Location: Philadelphia, Pa. – The Palestra
All-Time Series: Penn, 158-65

Setting the Scene
The Dartmouth men's basketball team is set to open Ivy League play on Saturday when the Big Green travel to Philadelphia to face the Penn Quakers. Opening tipoff inside the historic Palestra is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Both teams are coming off games at SEC opponents, with Dartmouth falling at Vanderbilt, 69-53, and Penn losing at Auburn, 88-68.

Against the Commodores, both senior Dusan Neskovic and sophomore Brandon Mitchell-Day posted identical stat lines of 14 points and nine rebounds, each narrowly missing a double-double. Three of Mitchell-Day's nine boards were offensive while all of Neskovic's came on the defensive glass. Neskovic finished 4-of-8 from 3-point range, marking a season high for made threes. He made a three just 1:16 into the game, then the Big Green as a team missed their next 12 attempts from distance before Neskovic caught fire in the second half. There was one stretch of 3:24, which saw him knock down three triples in 3:24, but it wasn't enough to overcome Vanderbilt's duo of Ezra Manjon and Tyrin Lawrence, who combined for 45 points (with 23 and 22, respectively).

Big Green senior Jaren Johnson scored 10 points and dished a career-high five assists in a strong effort. Johnson's five helpers were a season high for any Dartmouth player and most since Dame Adelekun's five in last season's finale vs. Harvard. His driving layup with 7:06 left in the first half gave Dartmouth a 21-17 lead, a score that stood until just over five minutes were on the clock. The next Big Green field goal wasn't until 16:25 left in the second half, as Dartmouth was held without a field goal for 10:41. In that time, Vanderbilt went on a 19-4 run to turn the Big Green's four-point lead into an 11-point Commodores' advantage.

Dartmouth enters Ivy League play with a similar record as last season; the Big Green were 4-10 last year entering a Jan. 1 matchup vs. Cornell. Come Ivy play last season, Dartmouth turned things around, beginning 3-2 and 4-3. The Big Green were in the hunt for an Ivy Madness spot until after the second-to-last game of the season, which came at Penn. In that game, Dartmouth trimmed a 14-point deficit down to three in the second half, but couldn't get over the hump in an 89-79 loss.

The teams have split each of the last three season series, but the Big Green have lost five straight at Penn, with their last win coming on Mar. 3, 2017 via a 76-74 final.

With a win...
- The Big Green would beat Penn for the fourth time in their last six tries.
- Dartmouth would snap a five-game losing streak at Penn and beat the Quakers in The Palestra for the first time since Mar. 3, 2017.
- Dartmouth would win its Ivy League opener for the first time since 2018, an 81-63 home win against Harvard on Jan. 12.
- The Big Green would win their Ivy League opener for just the second time in the last 16 seasons.
- Dartmouth would win an Ivy League opener on the road for the first time since a 78-59 win at Harvard on Dec. 16, 1998.
- Dartmouth head coach David McLaughlin would win his 250th career game as a collegiate head coach (including his time at Stonehill).
- Dartmouth would win its first road game of the season and 11-game road losing streak dating back to last season; the Big Green's last road win came on Monday, Jan. 16 at Harvard.

Last Time Out
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (12/30/23) — With the Dartmouth men's basketball team leading 21-17, Vanderbilt ended the first half on a 14-2 run and carried that momentum into the second as the Commodores defeated the Big Green, 69-53, in the nonconference finale for both sides on Saturday inside Memorial Gymnasium. Senior Dusan Neskovic and sophomore Brandon Mitchell-Day each finished with identical stat lines of 14 points and nine rebounds to lead the Big Green attack.

Scouting Penn
Penn enters Ivy League play 8-7 overall, including 7-1 at home. The Quakers' only loss was vs. Belmont, 84-79 in overtime. Penn has lost two straight, but both coming against nationally-ranked opponents in Houston (81-42) and Auburn (88-68). It was recently announced that leading scorer Clark Slajchert, who stands top five in the Ivy League in scoring with 17.4 points per game, will miss time due to injury. A pair of first years are impressing, with Tyler Perkins averaging 14.5 points per game and two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week Sam Brown coming in at 12.2. Veteran Nick Spinoso comes in at 9.9, along with a team-leading 7.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. As a team, the Quakers stand first in the Ivy League and 15th nationally in 3-point percentage (39.0). One of Penn's nonconference wins came over Villanova, who was ranked 21st at the time.

The Quakers' leading scorer from last season, and one of the top scorers nationally, Jordan Dingle, transferred to St. John's. He averaged 23.4 points a season ago. Max Martz, who finished third on the team (10.8), medically retired. Last season, Penn finished third and advanced to the Ivy League Tournament, and was picked fifth in this year's preseason poll, due in large part to the losses of Dingle and Martz.

All-Time Against the Quakers
Penn leads the all-time series against Dartmouth, 158-65. It's been all about the home teams recently, with the home teams having won the last six matchups. The Big Green's last road win was on Mar. 3, 2017, 76-74, having lost five straight at the Palestra. The first-ever meeting between the sides came on Mar. 1, 1905, a 30-26 Penn victory. Dartmouth's first win came in the next meeting, a 31-15 final on Jan. 17, 1907.

Taking Down the (BU) Terriers
Dartmouth beat Boston University, 63-54, on Wednesday, Dec. 13.

- The Big Green held the Terriers to their fewest points in the all-time series since a 64-53 Dartmouth win on Jan. 27, 1962 —19 games ago.
- Junior Romeo Myrthil was the story offensively for the Big Green, scoring a career-high 18 points on just seven field goal attempts (making five). He was 3-of-4 from 3-point range, including two 3-pointers as part of Dartmouth's 9-0 run to turn a 39-39 tie into a 48-39 lead. Thursday (Dec. 14) was Myrthil's birthday, but his home country of Sweden is six hours ahead of the Eastern time zone, so Myrthil's career performance came on his birthday… in Sweden.
- Dartmouth's 54 points allowed marked a season best.
- The win snapped Dartmouth's three-game losing streak against the Terriers and marked only the Big Green's second victory in their last six tries in the series.

Double Trouble
Sophomore Brandon Mitchell-Day has two double-doubles this season.

- at Vermont (Nov. 29): 10 points, 10 rebounds
- at Saint Louis (Nov. 25): 17 points, 10 rebounds

At Vermont on Nov. 29, Mitchell-Day recorded his second straight double-double, becoming the first Dartmouth player to do so since Chris Knight in February of 2020. Knight actually did so in three straight games, posting 27 points and 13 rebounds vs. Princeton (Feb. 22), 17 and 13 at Cornell (Feb. 28) and 19 and 10 at Columbia (Feb. 29).

Granite State Supremacy
On Wednesday, Dec. 6, Dartmouth took as much as a 23-point second-half lead over UNH, easily cruising past the Wildcats, 76-64. Sophomore Jayden Williams led the offense with a career-high 28 points, knocking down eight 3-pointers on just 10 attempts; it marked Dartmouth's fifth straight game with a 20-point scorer.

The win came over a UNH team that entered 6-3 and without the Big Green's top two scorers due to injury, senior Dusan Neskovic and sophomore Brandon Mitchell-Day. Williams' eight 3-pointers were just one from tying a program record and tied for the fifth most made threes in the nation this season. It was the most made triples by a Dartmouth player since Brendan Barry knocked down eight on Dec. 14, 2018 against Boston University. Williams also set career highs in rebounds (5), assists (4) and blocks (2) to help him earn Ivy League Player of the Week honors.

As a team, the Big Green knocked down a season-high 14 3-pointers. Dartmouth did not turn the ball over until 5:41 into the second half, finishing with just five, which were its fewest since also having five on Dec. 19, 2021 at Cal. UNH had just seven turnovers, as both teams took care of the basketball. The Big Green finished with 19 assists, a season high and most since last season's finale vs. Harvard.

Block Party
The Big Green tallied nine blocks on Dec. 2 at UAlbany, their most since Dec. 21, 2013 when they also had nine against Longwood. Juniors Nikola Dimitrijevic and Romeo Myrthil each posted a career-high four blocks, while senior Jaren Johnson recorded the other.

20-Point Notables...
- Senior Dusan Neskovic became the first Big Green player with 20 points in back-to-back road games since Brendan Barry in February of 2022. Barry had 25 at Yale (Feb. 4) followed by 21 at Brown (Feb. 5).
- Prior to Neskovic, the previous time a Big Green player scored 20 in back-to-back non-conference road games since Alex Barnett in 2008. Barnett scored 28 at Providence (Nov. 18) and 32 at Vermont (Dec. 2).
- As a team, the Big Green had a 20-point scorer in three of the first four games of the season (Neskovic 23 at Duke, sophomore Brandon Mitchell-Day 20 vs. Westfield State and Neskovic 24 at Saint Louis), the first time that's happened since the 2008-09 season. That year, Barnett had all the 20-point games, posting 28 at Providence, 24 vs. Colgate and 24 against Furman.
- Dartmouth had a 20-point scorer in five consecutive games (vs. Westfield State, at Saint Louis, at Vermont, at UAlbany and vs. New Hampshire). It marked the first time since at least the turn of the century that the Big Green have had a 20-point scorer in six of the first seven games of the season.
- Against New Hampshire (Dec. 6), Jayden Williams' 28 points marked a season high for a Dartmouth player and the most by a Big Green player since Dame Adelekun scored 41 last Jan. 28 against Columbia.

McRae III and Myrthil Named Captains
Dartmouth head men's basketball coach David McLaughlin announced that senior Robert McRae III and junior Romeo Myrthil will serve as the Big Green's team captains in 2023-24. The two will look to lead an experienced group that features seven returning players who led the team in scoring at least once this past season.

McRae emerged as a junior, especially in Ivy League play when he became a regular in the Big Green rotation. After appearing in two games as a sophomore, he played in 24 as a junior, starting once and averaging 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds. His impact on the defensive end of the floor was also strong, along with his impact on the game in intangible ways. Three games into the season, McRae scored a career-high 18 points in just 15 minutes against MCLA, shooting 5-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He later made his first-career start at UMass and filled up the box score with nine points, seven rebounds, three steals and an assist. In Ivy League play, McRae scored nine points in a mid-February weekend — four at Cornell and five at Columbia.

Myrthil averaged 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds as a junior in 25 games, starting eight times. Like McRae, Myrthil's impact came at both ends of the floor and in ways not always evident in the box score. Offensively, he reached double-figure points on three occasions, including a career-high 12 in a home win over Princeton and 11 both against CSU Bakersfield and at South Florida. For the season, Myrthil shot 42.7 percent from the floor (32-of-75) and 36.6 percent from 3-point range (15-of-41). After starting the first eight games of the season, Myrthil came off the bench in game nine and he responded with 27 points over the next three games (11 points against CSU Bakersfield followed by nine vs. Vermont and seven at CCSU).

History in Cameron Indoor Stadium
In the season opener at Duke on Monday, Nov. 6, the Big Green were led by junior Dusan Neskovic, who scored 23 points for a second straight season opener (also 23 last Nov. 7 at Fordham). He scored 15 of those points in the second half at Duke, shooting 7-of-11 over the final 20 minutes. Neskovic finished 11-of-19 for the game, which included knocking down a second-half 3-pointer.
- Neskovic's 23 points were the most scored by a Duke opponent in the Blue Devils' home opener since Davidson's De'Mon Brooks scored 24 on Nov. 8, 2013.
- It was also the most scored by any non-conference opponent at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium since Kevon Harris of Stephen F. Austin had 26 on Nov. 26, 2019.

Scoring Output
Seven different Big Green players have led the team in scoring this season.

Dusan Neskovic: 6 - at Duke (11/6), at Saint Louis (11/25), at Vermont (11/29), vs. UAlbany (12/2), at Sacred Heart (12/21), at Vanderbilt (tied) (12/30)
Jaren Johnson: 2 - vs. UMass Lowell (11/10), at Le Moyne (tied) (12/16)
Brandon Mitchell-Day: 2 - vs. Westfield State (11/15), at Vanderbilt (tied) (12/30)
Jayden Williams: 1 - vs. New Hampshire (12/6)
Ryan Cornish: 1 - vs. Marist (12/9)
Romeo Myrthil: 1 - vs. Boston University (12/13)
Connor Christensen: 1 - vs. Thomas College (12/18)
Nikola Dimitrijevic: 1 - at Le Moyne (tied) (12/16)

Preseason Poll Released
The Ivy League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll was released on Tuesday, Oct. 17, which saw the Dartmouth men's basketball team come in seventh. Yale was picked as the preseason favorite with 124 points (14 first-place votes) followed closely by Princeton with 110 points (two first-place votes). Cornell came in third with 80 points followed by Brown (77), Penn (68), Harvard (66), Dartmouth (28) and Columbia (23).

Sustained Success
Since Feb. 17, 2022, the Big Green are tied for the third best record in the league in Ivy League games (regular season or postseason).

Princeton: 16-5
Yale: 15-6
Dartmouth: 10-9
Penn: 10-9
Cornell: 9-10
Brown: 8-10
Harvard: 7-12
Columbia: 2-16

International Experience
Four members of the Big Green hail from outside of the United States — Dusan Neskovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Romeo Myrthil (Sweden), Nikola Dimitrijevic (Serbia) and Ben Brown (England). Neskovic is the first Big Green player from Banja Luka since Vedad Osmanovic '02, who scored 697 points. The four international players are tied with the 2021-22 team for the most international players on a Dartmouth men's basketball roster.

Follow Along
Saturday's game will air on ESPN+.

What's Ahead?
After Saturday's contest, the Big Green return to action on Monday, Jan. 15 at Princeton. Opening tipoff is set for 2 p.m.