It wasn't the dramatic season finale that everyone hoped it might be.
Last season, the Dartmouth women's basketball team brought its unblemished 13-0 mark, hopes of becoming the first undefeated team in women's Ivy history, and dreams of an NCAA tournament bid to Briggs Cage only to be upset, 61-59, by a young and extremely talented Crimson squad.
The scene this year could have been remarkably similar. If Harvard had defeated Princeton and Pennsylvania last weekend, it, too, would have had a chance to become the first undefeated team in conference history.
And like last year's Big Green squad, this year's version of the Crimson found itself in the role of the experienced, poised squad traveling to the unfriendly confines of a young but always dangerous team when it journeyed to Hanover, New Hampshire, last night.
There was no real drama to this matchup, however. There was no Ivy title to fight for. But it was the seniors' final game in Harvard uniforms, and they went out with a blast, downing the Big Green (8-18 overall, 4-10 Ivy) by the misleading margin of 74-64.
"In terms of morale, it meant a lot," senior point guard Heidi Kosh said. "The seniors didn't want to lose the last three games of their careers. We lost two close games and we wanted to show people that we could win."
Harvard (17-9, 12-2) ran out to a 13-2 lead in the first six minutes of play. With four minutes remaining in the first half, the Crimson led, 31-17. Dartmouth then went cold from the floor, going scoreless for the next three minutes until Ilsa Webeck hit a free throw.
Harvard closed out the half holding a commanding 42-20 advantage. Jen Mazanec led the first-half attack with 14 points. The senior forward finished the game with a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds.
"We blew their doors off, basically," Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney Smith said.
Harvard continued to pound the Big Green in the second half, jumping out to a 55-31 lead at the 15:00 mark. The Crimson expanded that lead to 30 points, 67-37, but then suffered a shooting drought in which it did not score a basket for nearly nine minutes.
Meanwhile, Dartmouth went on a 20-0 run which was broken when Harvard summoned its starters from the bench. Delaney Smith put her corps of seniors back on the court, and the veterans held on for the victory.
NOTEBOOK: Co-Captain Dina Hadrick had 13 points on five-of-eight shooting...Sue Stuebner and Renee Reed led the Big Green with 20 points each. Stuebner also pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. HARVARD (74): Maura Healey 4-6 0-0 9; Heidi Kosh 2-6 3-4 7; Dina Hadrick 5-8 3-3 13; Beth Wambach 1-7 0-0 2; Kelly Morrison 0-2 0-0 0; Heather Harris 2-3 1-1 5; Erin Maher 3-6 0-0 8; Cara Frey 0-1 0-0 0; Jen Mazanec 8-10 4-5 20; Betsy Odita 0-2 1-2 1; Debbie Flandermeyer 3-10 3-5 9. Totals: 28-60 15-20 74 DARTMOUTH (64): Tara Burke 1-6 0-1 3; Jen Carter 0-3 0-0 0; Sara Bone 2-10 0-0 5; Renee Reed 6-13 8-8 20; Betsy Gilmore 0-2 0-0 0; Ilsa Webeck 5-7 1-3 11; Amy Fowler 2-11 0-0 5; Sue Stuebner 8-20 4-7 20. Totals: 24-72 13-19 64 Three-pointers: Maher 2, Healey; Burke, Bone, Fowler. Rebounds: Harvard 42 (Mazanec 10); Dartmouth 45 (Stuebner 15). Assists: Harvard 14 (Kosh 4, Mazanec 4); Dartmouth 10 (Gilmore 6). Steals: Harvard 10 (Healey, Kosh, Mazanec, Wambach 2); Dartmouth 11 (Gilmore 7). Blocks: Harvard 4 (Flandermeyer, Mazanec 2); Dartmouth 1 (Stuebner). Fouled Out: Webeck. Total Fouls: Harvard 16; Dartmouth 13. Turnovers: Harvard 23; Dartmouth 18. Attendance: 342
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