Cornell at Dartmouth
Tip Off: Tuesday, March 5, 2013; 6:00 p.m.
Location: Leede Arena (Hanover, N.H.)
Records: Cornell (11-14, 3-8 Ivy); Dartmouth (6-19, 4-7 Ivy)
Series Record: Dartmouth leads, 54-13
Last Meeting: Dartmouth won, 55-48 (March 2, 2012; Leede Arena)
Live Stats: DartmouthSports.com
Live Audio: DartmouthSports.com
Video Webcast: DartmouthSports.com

Game Notes (PDF)

THE MATCHUP: The Big Red women's basketball team will play its final road game of the season when it travels to Dartmouth to make up the Feb. 9 contest that was postponed due to winter storm Nemo. The teams will tip off on Tuesday, March 5 at 6 p.m.

THE SERIES VS. THE BIG GREEN: Cornell's rivalry with Dartmouth began in the 1976-77 season when the Big Red squeaked out a 50-49 victory, but the Big Green has dominated ever since. Dartmouth holds the advantage in the all-time series, 53-13, but had an 11-game winning streak ended during the 2007-08 season when the Big Red earned a 50-43 victory at Newman Arena. Since that time, the two teams have been fairly even with Dartmouth owning a 6-5 record in the past 11 meetings, with five of those games being decided by four or fewer points.

LAST TIME VS. DARTMOUTH (March 2, 2012; Hanover N.H.):
• Dartmouth used its control on the offensive glass to get second shots and overcome its 32 percent shooting in a 55-48 victory over Cornell at Leede Arena.
• Clare Fitzpatrick had 19 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots, while Allyson DiMagno scored 14 points and grabbed nine boards.
• Sasha Dosenko notched 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Faziah Steen tallied 11 points and three steals.
• Also reaching double figures for the Big Green was Nicola Zimmer with 10 points and six rebounds, while Milica Toskovic had seven points and nine rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.
• Dartmouth had 21 second chance opportunities and a 47-36 edge over in rebounding that propelled them to the victory
• The Dartmouth defense limited Cornell to just 20 points after the break to extend a 29-28 edge at the half. Cornell shot just 27 percent after halftime and missed all six 3-point attempts.

REBOUNDING QUEEN: With her 13 rebounds at Yale on March 2, Allyson DiMagno broke the school record for rebounds in a single season, surpassing Rhonda Anderson, who registered 287 rebounds during the 1982-83 season. DiMagno enters this week's games with 288 rebounds.

BEST BOARDS: As of the national rankings on Feb. 25, Allyson DiMagno led the Ivy League and ranked 12th in the nation in rebounds per game (11.5).

TOP TEN ASSISTS: With her seven assists vs. Daemen College (N.Y.) on Jan. 13, Spencer Lane jumped into the top 10 in Cornell history for career assists. She currently sits in eighth place with 266 assists and needs 29 more to surpass Breean Walas (1998-2002), who sits in seventh place.

800/600: Over the Yale/Brown weekend (Feb. 15-16), Allyson DiMagno surpassed the 800-point, 600-rebound plateau, becoming the only player under head coach Dayna Smith to register at least 800 points and 600 rebounds. She is the fourth player in Cornell history to reach those marks, and is the first since Patti Froehlich finished her career with more than 1,000 points and 900 rebounds in 1989 – three years before DiMagno was born.

DOUBLE THE 800/600: After going 24 years without having a player reach 800 career points and 600 career rebounds, the Big Red is on the verge of having two players do it in the same season. Allyson DiMagno reached those marks earlier this season and she is about to be joined by senior Clare Fitzpatrick, who enters this week's games with 1,187 points and 599 rebounds. 

5-11 STANDING TALL: Standing at just 5-11, Allyson DiMagno is one of only three players ranked in the top 15 in the NCAA in rebounding to be shorter than 6-0.

TOP TEN POINTS: With her 17 points at Harvard on Feb. 10, senior Clare Fitzpatrick moved into the top 10 for points in a career at Cornell. She sits in ninth place overall with 1,181 and needs eight more points to move into seventh place.

TOP TEN REBOUNDS: Allyson DiMagno and Clare Fitzpatrick have both moved into Cornell's top 10 for career rebounds. DiMagno made the jump after pulling down 15 against Columbia on Jan. 19 and Fitzpatrick did it with seven boards the very next weekend at Columbia on Jan. 26. DiMagno currently sits in fourth place with 662 and needs 60 more to surpass Karin Dwyer (1982-86). Fitzpatrick is sixth overall with 599 and needs 18 more to surpass Lynell Davis (617).

NUMBER ONE STARTER: Earlier this season vs. Princeton, senior Clare Fitzpatrick set the school record for games started in a career, surpassing Lauren Benson (97; 2006-10). Fitzpatrick has currently made 106 career starts for the Big Red.

TOP 10 SHOTS: Clare Fitzpatrick and Taylor Flynn have moved into the top 10 in Cornell history for field goals made and three point field goals made, respectively. Fitzpatrick eighth eighth overall (428) and needs 10 more to move into seventh place, while Flynn ranks 10th (106) and needs just two more treys to move into ninth place.

IVY LEADERS: In addition to Allyson DiMagno leading the Ivy League in rebounding (11.5 rpg.), several Big Red players are ranked among the top 10 in various categories in the Ivy League, including:
*Allyson DiMagno – third in scoring (14.1 points per game)
*Clare Fitzpatrick – eighth in scoring (12.9 points per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – third in field goal percentage (.476)
*Clare Fitzpatrick – fourth in field goal percentage (.471)
* Spencer Lane – first in assists (3.9 assists per game)
* Stephanie Long – ninth in assists (2.4 assists per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – second in free throw percentage (.842)
*Clare Fitzpatrick – eighth in free throw percentage (.769)
*Allyson DiMagno – fourth in steals (1.8 steals per game)
* Spencer Lane – seventh in steals (1.7 steals per game)
* Stephanie Long – 10th in 3-poing field goal percentage (.330)
*Shelby Lyman – seventh in 3-point field goals made (1.4 per game)
* Stephanie Long – ninth in 3-point field goals made (1.3 per game)
* Clare Fitzpatrick – eighth in blocked shots (0.7 blocks per game)
* Spencer Lane – first in assist/turnover ratio (1.4 per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – first in offensive rebounds (4.5 per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – first in defensive rebounds (7.0 per game)
*Allyson DiMagno – second in minutes played (35.7 per game)
* Spencer Lane – fourth in minutes played (32.6 per game)
* Shelby Lyman – ninth in minutes played (30.4 per game)

SURE SHOTS: Allyson DiMagno and Clare Fitzpatrick rank third and fourth, respectively in the Ivy League in field goal percentage, helping the Big Red to third place ranking in the Ivy League as a team (.380).

100 THREES: With Cornell's seven 3-pointers at Brown on March 1, the Big Red has extended its streak to six consecutive seasons with 100 3-pointers made. With three games to play, the Big Red currently stands at 106 3-pointers. Cornell has registered at least 100 3-pointers in all but one season under head coach Dayna Smith, with the 2006-07 squad coming up just short with 98 treys.

I'LL TAKE THAT: So far this season, Cornell has averaged 8.4 steals per game, the same amount that it averaged last year when the Big Red averaged 8.4 steals per game. Last season's total was the best team average since the 2001-02 team finished the year with 11.0 steals per game.

MAY I ASSIST YOU?: So far this season, the Big Red has assisted on 342-of-515 baskets (67%), which is up significantly from last year when Cornell had assists on 366-of-576 baskets (64%).

STARTING STREAK: Junior Allyson DiMagno has a 76-game starting streak, which is by far the longest current active streak on the team. Senior Spencer Lane's 55-game streak ranks second.

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END: Prior to Cornell's 69-60 overtime loss to Harvard on Feb. 10, head coach Dayna Smith was undefeated in three previous overtime contests at the helm of the Big Red program, having guided Cornell to victory against Harvard in 2003-04, Niagara in 2005-06, and Columbia earlier this season. 

DOUBLE THE OT: Cornell has played in two overtime contests this season (Columbia on Jan. 26, Harvard on Feb. 10), a feat that hasn't occurred since the Big Red played three overtime games during the 1997-98 campaign.

EVERYBODY'S (ACADEMIC) ALL-AMERICAN: Junior Allyson DiMagno has been named a Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team selection for the first time of her career. She is now among 40 players to vie for a spot on the prestigious Capital One Academic All-America squad. A biological sciences major with a3.79 grade-point average, she becomes just the second Academic All-District selection in the history of the Big Red women's basketball program, joining Virginia McMunigal '10, who was a second-team selection during her senior season.

A LEGEND IN THE MAKING: The Atlantic 10 Conference recently announced its Inaugural Women's Basketball Legends list and Cornell head coach Dayna Smith has been selected to represent her alma mater, the University of Rhode Island. Smith was one of the top point guards in Atlantic 10 history while starring for Rhode Island from 1992-96. One of just 11 players at the NCAA Division I level to record more than 1,000 points and 750 assists, Smith was a key component of the Rams' run to the 1996 NCAA Tournament. The Women's Basketball Legends will be honored on March 16 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., the morning of the 2013 A-10 Women's Basketball Championship finals. Each honoree will be recognized during an awards brunch in the 40/40 Club, beginning at 11 a.m.

THRICE AS NICE: Three times this season, Allyson DiMagno has been named the Ivy League co-Player of the Week (Dec. 3, Jan. 21, and Jan. 28). The three weekly honors in a single season ties the school record and DiMagno becomes the first Cornell women's basketball player to accomplish that feat since Jeomi Maduka won the award three times during the 2007-08 season.

STREAKING: Earlier this season, Cornell had a four-game winning streak, as well as a posting six consecutive victories at Newman Arena. Those streaks were the longest since the Big Red won eight consecutive games during the 2007-08 season, and posted 10-straight victories at Newman Arena over the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons.

SEASON SWEEP: With its double overtime victory at Columbia on Jan. 26, the Big Red posted back-to-back season sweeps against the Lions for the first time since 2005-06, 2006-07.

FIFTY IS FINE: Junior Allyson DiMagno set a school record for minutes played in a contest when she played all 50 minutes during Cornell's double overtime game at Columbia on Jan. 26. The previous record had been held by Do Stevens, who played 46 minutes of a double overtime game vs. Harvard on Feb. 22, 2002.

DOUBLE OT: When Cornell's game at Columbia went into double overtime, it became just the third double-overtime game in Cornell women's basketball history (1979-80 vs. Colgate; 2001-02 vs. Harvard).The Big Red lost both previous games by the identical score of 77-75.

CLOSE CALLS: Since the beginning of the 2010-11 season, the Big Red has had 29-of-78 games (37%) decided by eight points or fewer. In those games, Cornell has posted a 17-15 record.

BLOCKS A LOT: Senior Clare Fitzpatrick currently sits in fifth place in Cornell history for career blocks (66) … Classmate Kristina Danielak sits in 11th place with 52 blocks.

FIRST ACTION: Freshman Jen Wahleithner became the first member of the rookie class to see action this season, playing one minute in the Big Red's first game at Colgate. Since then, both other members of the class of 2016 – Allison Bockrath and Molly Meriggioli – have seen the court for the Big Red, with Bockrath getting her first playing action vs. Syracuse, while Meriggioli saw her first minutes vs. Buffalo. 

LOW PERCENTAGE SHOTS: So far this season, Cornell has held 15 of its 25 opponents to below 40 percent shooting from the floor. The Big Red closed the 2011-12 season by holding its opponents to 40 percent or below from the floor in 12 of its final 18 games.

22 BOARDS: Junior Allyson DiMagno registered a career- and team-season high 22 rebounds at Columbia on Jan. 26. The 22 rebound effort is the fifth-best single-game performance in the NCAA this season and ranks fourth all-time in Cornell history, matching Patti Froehlich (vs. St. Francis (Pa.) on Jan. 9, 1989) and Rhonda Anderson's (vs. Oneonta State on Dec. 2, 1980) 22-rebound efforts.

COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS POW: Clare Fitzpatrick was named the College Sports Madness Ivy League Player of the Week on Jan. 28 following her performance in Cornell's double-overtime victory at Columbia. Fitzpatrick scored 23 points, including seven in the two overtime sessions, to go along with four assists, two blocks and two steals. Fitzpatrick sunk two free throws with nine seconds remaining in the first overtime period, and then blocked a Mawa Tachibana shot attempt with 1.7 seconds to play to force the game into a second overtime.

100 WINS AND COUNTING: Head Coach Dayna Smith is already the winningest coach in Cornell history, and she reached the 100-win mark for her career with the team's victory over Manhattan. She has since added to that and has 108 career coaching wins.

IVY OPENERS: Since Ivy League round robin play began in the 1982-83 season, Cornell has posted a 16-15 record in conference openers. The Big Red snapped a four-game losing streak in Ivy openers when it defeated Columbia, 68-54, earlier this season, making Coach Dayna Smith's record 5-6 in the first game of Ancient Eight play. Cornell has faced the Lions more than any other team, opening the season against Columbia 15 times.

HITTING 1,000/500: With her 15 points vs. Buffalo on Jan. 5, senior Clare Fitzpatrick became the 12th player in Cornell history to score 1,000 career points. She is also the seventh player in Cornell history, and second ever under head coach Dayna Smith, to register at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for her career. She hit the 500-rebound plateau with 12 boards against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 18. 

HELPING HAND: Cornell assisted on 24-of-30 shots vs. Daemen College. The 24 assists were the most in a game for the Big Red since recording 20 assists against Dartmouth on Jan. 28, 2011.

STUDYING THE OPPONENTS: Since the 1980-81 season, the Big Red is 12-20 coming out of Cornell's two-week study break. However, Coach Smith's teams have fared much better, posting a record of 7-4 in the first game back from exams … This season, the Big Red was edged by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 52-49 in its first game following the break.

FOR OPENERS: The Big Red is 18-24 all-time in season openers. Coach Dayna Smith improved her record to 2-9 in season openers after defeating Colgate, 69-65 on Nov. 11, 2012. It was the first season-opening victory since the 2004-05 campaign.

WHAT WAS LOST: The Big Red graduated two players from the 2011-12 squad – Maka Anyanwu and Allie Munson. A junior college transfer, Anyanwu earned two varsity letters and finished her senior season with 211 points (7.8 ppg.) and 118 rebounds (4.4 rpg.). Munson was a four-year letter winner for the Big Red and played in 93 career games (13.3 mpg.). She averaged 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for her career and ranks 12th all-time in Cornell history for career blocked shots (42). 

WHAT REMAINS: Cornell returns four starters and nine letter winners from last season's squad. The Big Red returns 84% of its scoring (1,298-of-1,554 points) and 83% of its rebounding (813-of-975) from a year ago.

BASKETBALL PEDIGREE: Junior Stephanie Long isn't the only member of her family to play collegiate basketball. Her father Dennis played basketball for three seasons at UConn.

PRESEASON HONORS: Clare Fitzpatrick and Allyson DiMagno were both named to the College Sports Madness Preseason All-Ivy team, with Fitzpatrick earning first-team honors and DiMagno snagging a place on the second-team.

TICKLE THE (ALL) IVY: Clare Fitzpatrick and Allyson DiMagno were each named honorable mention All-Ivy League following the 2011-12 season. Fitzpatrick ranked 12th in the Ancient Eight in scoring (10.8 ppg.) and was fourth in rebounding (6.9 rpg.). She also ranked third in the circuit in blocked shots and registered five double-doubles. Her basket with less than four seconds to play helped down Brown. DiMagno was 13th in scoring (10.7 ppg.) and second in rebounding (7.3 rpg.). She also ranked 10th in the Ivy in assists and seventh in steals and was just outside the top 10 in blocked shots. Her basket with three seconds left pushed the Big Red over Fordham.

HI, MY NAME IS: Cornell has a new face on the bench for the 2012-13 season, as Daan de Heus joins the women's basketball staff as an assistant coach. A native of Eindhoven, The Netherlands, de Heus played for the Dutch national youth basketball teams before going on to serve as an assistant coach for the Netherlands at the 2009 high school basketball world championships, held in Istanbul, Turkey. He was also the head basketball coach of a variety of youth and senior basketball teams at Almonte, from 2005-2011, wining two championships at the U16 and U18 level.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: The Big Red added three players to the 2012-13 squad: Allison Bockrath (Dayton, Ohio), Molly Meriggioli (Waunakee, Wisc.) and Jen Wahleithner (Highlands Ranch, Colo). The class of three come from three different states and consists of two guards and one forward.

UP NEXT: Cornell will play its final home games of the season and honor its four seniors – Kristina Danielak, Clare Fitzpatrick, Taylor Flynn and Spencer Lane – as it plays host to Dartmouth and Harvard on Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9, respectively. Both games will tip-off at 7 p.m.