The AU women’s basketball team snapped its two-game losing streak after defeating Dartmouth College at Bender Arena on Dec. 1 by a score of 77-54.
The Eagles (4-2, 0-0, PL) initially fell behind the Big Green (1-4, 0-0, Ivy) 4-0 to open the game. However, AU quickly caught up and overtook Dartmouth. With 16:52 left in the first half, senior forward Sarah Kiely made a layup that put the Eagles up 7-6. The Eagles maintained their lead for the rest of the game.
Despite trailing, the Big Green put up a fight during the first half. AU pushed its lead to 21-11 on a three-point shot by junior guard Jen Dumiak, forcing Dartmouth to call a timeout. The Big Green came out of the timeout hitting two consecutive three-pointers. AU pushed back with consecutive scores by Dumiak and took a 38-27 lead into the half.
The Eagles pushed their lead even higher in the second half. The Eagles came out on a 14-2 run that put them up 54-29 with 13:29 left in the game. A three-pointer from freshman forward Lauren Crisler with 04:30 left in the match gave AU a 27-point lead, its largest advantage of the game.
The Eagles finished off the Big Green 77-54, tying its second-highest margin of winning this season.
Four Eagles players posted double digit points in the win. Senior guard Alexis Dobbs had a game-high 15 points. Dumiak notched 13 points, while Kiely and senior guard Ti’Asia McGeorge each added 10 points to the Eagles’ effort. This game marked the third time this season that AU had four players with double digit points.
The Eagles posted an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio throughout the contest. AU had 20 assists to its four turnovers for a 5:1 ratio, while Dartmouth 15 assists to its 14 turnovers. Dobbs and McGeorge led the game with six assists apiece.
AU dominated Dartmouth every other aspect of the stats sheet. The Eagles shot 47.1 percent from the field while Dartmouth had a 36.4 percent field goal percentage. The Eagles’ bench earned 33 points for AU compared to Dartmouth’s 13 points.
The game also marked a homecoming for first-year Dartmouth head coach Belle Koclanes, who was formerly an assistant coach for AU.
AU will go on the road and face Hampton University on Dec. 4 before returning to Bender Arena for a two-game homestand.
