Women’s Comeback Falls Short

The heart of the Dartmouth women's basketball team was on full display in the NCAA Tournament in March. Facing defending national champs Purdue in the first round, the Big Green fell behind by 20 points in the early going. Dartmouth's second straight visit to the Big Dance looked to be a short one.

But then something happened. The women gave the Boilermakers a taste of what teams had come to learn all season long: Dartmouth doesn't quit easily.

The team battled back and nearly pulled off one of the biggest wins in school history before falling 69-65. The near-comeback capped a magical season: the first 20-win campaign since 1989-90, the second straight league title and 13 th overall, and a near upset in the tournament.

"I am so proud of the effort," said coach Chris Wielgus. "My kids came up short in terms of points but in no way, shape or form are they losers."

During the regular season, the Big Green (20-8, 12-2) at one point reeled off 11 straight Ivy wins, including an 89-71 trouncing of Penn that clinched the Ivy title. For the NCAAs, the team earned the highest seed ever (13th) for an Ivy League women's team.