Hanover
The hosts led by 22 points during the second quarter before the Big Red whittled its deficit to five points with three minutes, 30 seconds remaining. Dartmouth, however, drained 5 of 7 shots from the floor and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line during the fourth quarter.
The Big Green improved to 6-11 overall and 1-3 in league action and is in a three-way tie for sixth place in the Ancient Eight. The top four finishers qualify for the league’s inaugural postseason tournament at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Dartmouth started last season 2-2 in Ivy play and finished 7-7, good for fourth place and its highest league finish since claiming the 2009 championship.
Saturday’s emotional result came a night after Columbia exited Leede Arena with a four-overtime victory and in front of roughly 35 of the program’s former players and coach Chris Wielgus.
Wielgus, who resigned after the 2012-13 season as the winningest female coach in Dartmouth history, was honored at a Saturday morning banquet and during a halftime ceremony.
“Today was inspirational for our team,” said Dartmouth coach Belle Koclanes, who is 37-66 since succeeding Wielgus. “Our players now truly understand the program they’re a part of, as opposed to us just telling them.
“We talked before the game about how our alumnae have responded to adversity and challenges in their lives and said let’s respond to last night, let’s show the fight we have in us.”
None showed more than senior guard Fanni Szabo, who followed a 31-point night vs. Columbia with a 23-point effort against the Big Red. Initially recruited by a Wielgus assistant, the Hungarian was persuaded to pick Dartmouth by Koclanes, who watched her produce seven 20-plus point games as a freshman.
Szabo’s scoring dipped as a sophomore while Koclanes pushed for the development of her all-around game and sank again last season after she suffered a stress fracture in one of her feet during a Dec. 21 game at Holy Cross. She missed seven contests and said on Saturday that it was not until recently that she’s felt completely healthy.
“I was 100 percent certain I broke my foot because I couldn’t even stand on it,” Szabo said, wincing at the memory. “The second half of this season, I’ve felt back to normal.”
Said Koclanes: “Healing is a physical and emotional struggle, and Fanni’s finally getting her feet under her. She feels like her body’s finally hers again and she can do what she’s always done.”
Dartmouth scored 33 of the second quarter’s 52 points to build a 49-31 halftime lead. It made 11 of 15 shots during the 10 minutes before intermission, stunning a foe that entered the weekend tied for first place in the league.
Cornell sank 17 of 29 field-goal attempts during the second half, including 10 of 16 during the fourth quarter, but the hole in which it sat was simply too deep. Down 75-70, the Big Red surrendered the next five points during a minute-long span and fell to 11-6 overall and 2-2 in Ivy play.
All nine Dartmouth players who saw action scored on Saturday, with reserve forward Andi Norman producing 14 points, forward Olivia Smith dropping in 12 points and post player Isalys Quinones adding nine points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes, giving her 88 minutes in roughly 25 hours. Szabo had six rebounds and three assists.
“It was a big game for us tonight because last night was heartbreaking,” Koclanes said. “Now, we have to focus on one game at a time and let the standings be what they will be.”
Notes: Amber Mixon, a junior who had started every game at point guard until last weekend’s clash with Harvard, missed her third consecutive contest because of illness. Koclanes said Mixon may be out for the long term, pending an official diagnosis this week. … Letkewicz leads Dartmouth with an average of 11.4 points per game, Szabo is at 11.0 and Quinones is at 10.6. The latter leads the squad with 7.1 rebounds per outing. … Freshman point guard Annie McKenna is averaging 4.1 points and 18.2 minutes per game. Her five classmates on the roster have played a combined 40 minutes this season. … Dartmouth President Phil Hanlon attended the game and the Wielgus banquet. Athletic director Harry Sheehy did not join the morning gathering, but was the recipient of a hug from Wielgus during a second-half timeout. … Wielgus’ 28-year record with the Big Green was 393-342 and she guided it to 12 league titles and seven trips to the NCAA playoffs. … Attendance was listed at 1,117. … Cornell led for 31 seconds of the game. … Football quarterback Bruce Dixon IV, a sophomore on Dartmouth’s roster last fall, has changed his Facebook page to read that he attends Winston-Salem State University in his native North Carolina.