Dartmouth Heads to Yale, Brown in Final Road Trip of Season

GAME 25
Dartmouth (5-19, 1-10 Ivy League) at Yale (18-8, 9-2 Ivy League)
Date: Friday, March 1, 2024 – 7 p.m.
Location: New Haven, Conn. – John J. Lee Amphitheater
All-Time Series: Yale, 122-99

GAME 26
Dartmouth (5-19, 1-10 Ivy League) at Brown (9-17, 5-6 Ivy League)
Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024 – 6 p.m.
Location: Providence, R.I. – Pizzitola Sports Center
All-Time Series: Tied, 83-83

Setting the Scene
The Dartmouth men's basketball team hits the road for the final time this season when the Big Green travel to Yale on Friday (7 p.m.) and Brown on Saturday (6 p.m.). The Big Green look to end the season on a high note following a number of close calls in recent games in which they have fallen just short.

Last weekend, Dartmouth began the weekend with an 82-69 loss against Penn. The Quakers used a 13-0 run to turn a 9-8 Dartmouth lead into a 21-9 Quakers' advantage, and wouldn't look back. Senior Dusan Neskovic scored 23 points, knocking down a career-high six 3-pointers. Another highlight was Dartmouth's distributing, as the Big Green tied a season high with 19 assists.

Dartmouth then had an impressive start against a 20-win Princeton program on Senior Night Saturday. The Big Green led by as much as nine late in the first half and then four at the half. The Tigers had a surge in the second half, but Dartmouth still found itself within six with 2:53 remaining following a Jaren Johnson free throw. However, that's as close as the Big Green would come.

Neskovic finished with 20 points for his third straight 20+ point effort, becoming the first Big Green to do so since Evan Boudreaux in February of 2016. He was 4-of-6 from 3-point range and has now knocked down 14-of-25 from three over his last three games. Johnson added 11 points, marking the fourth time in the last five games in double figures.

The last time the Big Green played at Yale, they won 81-77 to snap a 12-game losing streak in the series. Dartmouth has lost five straight at Brown, with its last win coming on Feb. 11, 2017 via a 77-74 final. But the Big Green's Ivy League win this season was against the Bears, coming back from a 14-point deficit to win in thrilling fashion, 75-71.

With a win on Friday (over Yale)...
- Dartmouth would win its second straight at Yale for the first time since 1998 and 1999.
- The Big Green would win for a second time in four tries for the first time since 2004-15.
- Dartmouth would beat Yale for the 100th time in program history, pulling within 122-100 all-time.
- The Big Green would win their first road game of the season.

With a win on Saturday (over Brown)...
- Dartmouth would snap a five-game losing streak at Brown and beat the Bears on the road for the first time since Feb. 11, 2017, a 77-74 victory.
- The Big Green would win a second straight game over Brown for the first time since Mar. 6, 2015 (75-69) and Feb. 13, 2016 (87-70), both at home.
- (Should the Big Green also win on Friday) Dartmouth would win back-to-back Ivy League games for the first time since last Jan. 14 and 16 when it beat Penn (at home) and Harvard (on the road).

Last Time Out
HANOVER, N.H. (2/24/24) — On its Senior Night, the entire Dartmouth men's basketball senior class was in the starting lineup and helped the Big Green open a halftime lead, but Princeton came back with a vengeance to win, 68-56, on Saturday inside Leede Arena. After the Tigers opened a 12-point halftime advantage, Dartmouth cut its deficit to as close as six with 2:56 remaining, but Princeton ended the game on an 8-2 run to wrap up the victory. Senior Dusan Neskovic led Dartmouth with 20 points, his third straight 20+ point effort, fourth in the last five game and eighth this season.

Scouting Yale
Yale stands 18-8 on the season and 9-2 in the Ivy League, which is tied with Princeton and Cornell for first. After eight straight wins, the Bulldogs lost consecutive games at Princeton (73-62) and Cornell (65-62) before an 84-76 win over Columbia. Yale is 7-1 at home this season, with its only loss coming against Fairfield, 75-71.

Danny Wolf leads the Bulldogs in scoring (14.6) while John Poulakidas (12.8), Bez Mbeng (12.1), Matt Knowling (12.0) and August Mahoney (10.0) are all in double figures as well. Mbeng's 101 assists lead the team, and Ivy League, while Wolf's 9.7 rebounds per game are also tops in the Ivy and top 25 in the nation. As a team, Yale stands 12th nationally in fewest turnovers per game (9.5), 32nd in assist/turnover ratio (1.50) and 39th in rebound margin (5.1).

All-Time Against the Bulldogs
Yale leads the all-time series with Dartmouth, 123-99, following its 76-51 win in January. The Bulldogs have won two straight, also a 72-53 win in Hanover last February. In the last meeting at Yale, Dartmouth won 81-77 to snap a 12-game losing streak in the series. Dusan Neskovic led the way with a career-high 24 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range. Ryan Cornish added 18. The Big Green's previous win against the Bulldogs was on Mar. 7, 2015 in Hanover via a 59-58 final. The year prior, Dartmouth also picked up a 69-61 win at Yale on Mar. 8, 2014. Dartmouth won the first-ever meeting, 22-15 on Feb. 9, 1901, and the Big Green won six of the first eight meetings all-time.

Scouting Brown
Brown has surged into a tie for fourth place in the Ivy League standings, having won three straight games, all on the road. the Bears won 71-64 at Penn before victories of 66-64 and 78-74 at Cornell last weekend to improve to 5-6 in Ivy League play and 9-17 overall.

Kino Lilly Jr. leads Brown in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game. He is followed by Nana Owusu-Anane and his 15.0 average, followed by Kalu Anya (9.6). Owusu-Anane's 8.7 rebounding average leads the team and stand third in the Ivy League, while Lilly Jr.'s 77 assists are tops on the Bears. Lilly Jr. is also fourth nationally in minutes per game (37:48), 21st in 3-pointers per game (3.04) and 23rd in 3-point attempts per game (225). Brown as a team leads the Ivy League and is 61st in the country in blocks per game (4.3).

All-Time Against the Bears
Brown's sweep of the Big Green last season gave the Bears an 83-82 lead in the all-time series before Dartmouth's win this January made it an 83-83 deadlock. Brown has won seven of the last nine meetings. The Big Green have lost five straight at Brown, but are 3-3 in their last six at home. The teams split the season series in 2021-22, with Dartmouth winning in Hanover, 58-46, and Brown victorious in Providence, 62-60. The Big Green won the first six all-time meetings (from 1902-05) and 14 of the first 16 overall.

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 four double-doubles this season.

- at Saint Louis (Nov. 25): 17 points, 10 rebounds
- at Vermont (Nov. 29): 10 points, 10 rebounds
- vs. Brown (Jan. 27): 22 points, 10 rebounds
- vs. Cornell (Feb. 2): 10 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). Against Brown on Jan. 27, Mitchell-Day's 22-point, 10-rebound double-double marked the first of his career in Ivy League play and first 20-point, 10-rebound double-double in just under a year (since Dame Adelekeun's 41-point, 10-rebound double-double vs. Columbia on Jan. 28, 2023). Mitchell-Day went on to post another double-double one game after Brown, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds against Cornell on Feb. 2.

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. The Big Green have seven games with 5+ blocks this season, including seven at Harvard. Sophomore Brandon Mitchell-Day tallied a career-high four swats in that game.

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.
- Mitchell-Day scored 22 points while Neskovic added 20 in Dartmouth's comeback win over Brown on Jan. 27, marking the first time since Jan. 21 of last season that two Big Green teammates scored 20+ in a game, when Ryan Cornish had 31 and Neskovic netted 24 at Princeton.
- Neskovic scored 20 points at Harvard, his fifth 20+ point effort of the season, the most 20-point games since Brendan Barry in 2018-19.
- Neskovic's 23 points at Cornell gave him six 20-point efforts of the season, the most for a Big Green player since Chris Knight's eight in 2018-19.
- Neskovic scored 23 then 20 points in back-to-back games vs. Penn and Princeton. His three straight 20+ point games marked the most by a Big Green player since Evan Boudreaux in February of 2016 — 21 against Yale (Feb. 12), 25 vs. Brown (Feb. 13) and 22 at Cornell (Feb. 19).

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.

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
Eight different Big Green players have led the team in scoring this season.

Dusan Neskovic: 14: 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), vs. Yale (1/20), vs. Cornell (2/2), vs. Columbia (2/3), at Harvard (2/10), at Columbia (2/16), at Cornell (2/17), vs. Penn (2/23), vs. Princeton (2/24)
Brandon Mitchell-Day: 4 - vs. Westfield State (11/15), at Vanderbilt (tied) (12/30), at Princeton (1/15), vs. Brown (1/27)
Jaren Johnson: 2 - vs. UMass Lowell (11/10), at Le Moyne (tied) (12/16)
Ryan Cornish: 2 - vs. Marist (12/9), at Penn (1/6)
Jayden Williams: 1 - vs. New Hampshire (12/6)
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)

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
Both Friday and Saturday night's games can be seen live on ESPN+/

What's Ahead?
After the weekend, Dartmouth returns home on Tuesday to host Harvard in its season finale. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

Schedules