Dartmouth Men Drop Ivy Opener at Harvard

Saturday, January 5

Cambridge, Mass.

2:00 p.m.

Dartmouth College

5-8, 0-1Ivy

Harvard

5-11, 1-0Ivy

Dartmouth

Harvard

1/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Boxscore

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Junior Alex Barnett (St. Louis, Mo.) was a dominant presence on the court Saturday afternoon at the Lavietes Pavilion, but his performance wasn't enough to walk away with a win, as the Big Green fell to Harvard, 82-56. Barnett accounted for 18 points, the most made by a player on either team, and pulled down 7 rebounds in the Ivy opener for both squads.

The loss puts Dartmouth's overall record at 5-8, extending the Big Green's losing streak to four games. With the win, the Crimson snapped its own four-game losing streak, rising to 5-11.

Barnett started aggressively, scoring the first basket just under 30 seconds into the contest. However, this would prove to be the only time Dartmouth would hold the lead, as the Crimson proceeded to score seven unanswered points before the Green scored a second time. Harvard captain and senior Brad Unger led the way with the first two baskets for the Crimson, drawing a foul on the first and successfully sinking a free throw.

Although Dartmouth was able to hold on for most of the first half, Harvard drove up the score with a run starting at the 7:00 mark. The Crimson went on a largely unanswered streak to end the first half, scoring 16 points to Dartmouth's four. Entering halftime, Harvard had extended their lead to 21 points, up 47-26.

Dartmouth fared better in the second half, being outscored by just five points, 35-30. Barnett was joined by seniors Johnathan Ball (Memphis, Tenn.) and Michael Giovacchini (Salt Lake City, Utah) in each scoring three field goals. Barnett also made a free throw on a foul from Harvard senior Evan Harris, to again lead the Green in points in the second half.

Harvard's win was in part due to its dominance on the glass, pulling down 41 rebounds to Dartmouth's 29, thanks largely to Unger, who led the Crimson with 9 rebounds.

Harvard was also able to score a significant number of points from free throws, as Dartmouth made 21 fouls against Harvard, giving the Crimson double bonus in both halves. Harvard players made 17 fouls themselves, Dartmouth failed to fully take advantage of the bonus opportunities allowed them. In the end, Harvard scored 20 points from free throws, compared to Dartmouth's seven.

After four games on the road, the Big Green will return home to Leede Arena next Friday for a rematch against Harvard, with the tip going off at 7 p.m.