Women Cagers Shock Green, 72-67; Crimson Nabs Ivy League Opener

HANOVER--Dartmouth christened its new Leede Arena in an unusual way Saturday afternoon.

The Big Green women's basketball team fell to Harvard, 72-67, in its first Ivy League home loss in 13 years. The Crimson (9-2 overall, 1-0 Ivy) hadn't won in Hanover since 1977.

It was dedication day for the new 2100 capacity arena, but a Harvard comeback in front of nearly 1600 fans put a damper on the post-game ceremonies.

The Crimson, trailing by 15 early in the second stanza, exploded to outscore the Green, 29-8, over the next 10 minutes and take a 59-55 advantage in both teams' league opener. Returning champion Dartmouth (5-4 overall, 0-1 Ivy) never recovered.

"There was a definite shift, I think they might have relaxed at the half and we came out harder," junior Sarah Duncan said. "Our defense created a lot of turnovers for them."

The Crimson upped the momentum on its full-court pressure and changed from a man-to-man to a zone defense after halftime. The switch kept Dartmouth from getting the ball inside, and shut down the Green on its offensive boards.

"We took their transition game away from them," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said. "It hurt when they were getting too many opportunities on second shots in the first half."

Senior forward Sharon Hayes sparked the Crimson comeback, scoring 12 points over the 10-minute stretch. Hayes netted key back-to-back baskets to cut the margin to eight, and fired in the go-ahead bucket following a missed Crimson free throw.

With Harvard up in the closing minutes, Delaney Smith had Duncan and center Beth Chandler--the Crimson's big power players--on the bench, giving the Green a major height advantage. But Dartmouth failed to force the ball inside and capitalize, instead shooting off-target outside shots.

"They appeared to get tired," Delaney Smith said. "It surprised me because [Dartmouth Coach Jackie Hullah] played 10 players."

Dartmouth's 2-3 zone gave Harvard trouble in the opening period, with the Green forcing 12 Crimson turnovers. In the final five minutes of the first half, Harvard turned the ball over on five straight possessions, falling from a seven- to a 12-point deficit.

But the second half was another story.

The Crimson committed only one turnover, held Dartmouth to 27 percent shooting from the floor, and shut down forward Liz Walter, last year's Ivy Player of the Year and currently the Green's leading scorer.

Walter, who netted 12 points in the first half, was held to four in the second by strong defense in the lane from Duncan. Duncan's seven blocks translated into 31 percent shooting from Walter.

"We match up almost perfectly player-for-player with Dartmouth," Delaney Smith said. "The problem is, you can't stop one player and stop Dartmouth."

While Walter faltered, sophomore guard Sophia Neely netted 19 points--including the Green's lone three-pointer--to lead all scorers and dished off a team-high six assists. Hayes paced Harvard with 19 points, while senior Barb Keffer had 12, including a pair of three-point shots.

THE NOTEBOOK: Both teams shot below average, with Harvard finishing with 37 percent from the floor and Dartmouth 25 percent...The Crimson capitalized on the three-point line, making six three-pointers to the Green's one.