March 5, 2008

Dartmouth (12-14, 9-3 Ivy) at Yale (8-17, 6-6 Ivy)
Friday, March 7, 2008-7 p.m.
New Haven, Conn.-John J Lee Amphitheater

Free Webcast: www.yalebulldogs.com
Radio/Internet: www.yalebulldogs.com (Anthony Brooks); www.dartmouthathletics.com (Drew Galbraith)

Harvard (17-9, 10-2 Ivy) at Yale (8-17, 6-6 Ivy)
Saturday, March 8, 2008-7 p.m.
New Haven, Conn.-John J Lee Amphitheater

Free Webcast: www.yalebulldogs.com
Radio/Internet: www.yalebulldogs.com (Anthony Brooks)

TONIGHT'S GAME
Even though Yale has been eliminated from the Ivy race, the Bulldogs (8-17, 6-6 Ivy) will have a say in who wins the conference championship. Determining what team wears the Ivy League crown comes down to this weekend in New Haven, when Dartmouth (12-14, 9-3 Ivy) and Harvard (17-9, 10-2 Ivy) visit the John J. Lee Amphitheater. Harvard clinches the title with two wins this weekend, while Dartmouth can force a playoff with two wins and a Harvard loss. Cornell (17-8, 9-3 Ivy) is also still in contention and hosts Penn and Princeton this weekend. Team captain Stephanie Marciano, Yale's only senior, will be honored prior to her final home game as a Bulldog on Saturday night. It is also Alumni Weekend at the John J. Lee Amphitheater.

SERIES HISTORY
The Bulldogs have lost the last two meetings against both Dartmouth and Harvard. Yale's last win over the Big Green was a 63-56 victory in last year's meeting at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. That victory came the night after a 61-53 triumph over the Crimson, Harvard's only conference loss last season. Those two games also mark Yale's last sweep of an Ivy weekend. Yale and Dartmouth have met 61 times, with the Big Green holding a 46-15 advantage. This is the 64th meeting between the Bulldogs and Crimson. Harvard leads the all-time series 37-26.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs saw their two-game winning streak snapped with a 64-59 loss at Princeton. Shelbie Pool hit two three-pointers for the Tigers in the final 1:35 to turn a 56-56 game into a six-point Princeton lead. Yale led by as many as nine points in the first half and held a 28-27 edge at intermission. The Bulldogs extended their lead to 38-29 early in the second half before Princeton charged back to take the lead. Melissa Colborne tallied 20 points to lead the Bulldogs.
On Friday night in Philadelphia, Yale avenged its loss to Penn earlier this season with a 79-70 victory. The Quakers scored the first six points of the game, but Yale charged back and the first half went back-and-forth until Penn's Sarah Bucar hit a trey to give her team a 36-35 halftime edge. With the score tied at 51-51, the Bulldogs used an 8-0 run to take control. Colborne had 22 points, while Ashley Carter chipped in a career-high 10 points.

BULLDOG BONES
Yale (7-16, 6-6 Ivy) has its most Ivy League wins since the 2001-02 campaign and enters the weekend tied for fourth place. The Bulldogs haven't finished in the top half of the standings since 2001-02. Despite already being eliminated, Yale will have a say in determining the Ivy League champion, as two of the three teams still in contention visit the John J. Lee Amphitheater this weekend. Sophomore guard/forward Melissa Colborne earned Ivy Player of the Week honors for the second straight week on Monday. She is averaging 21.0 points over the last four games. For the season, Colborne ranks second in the Ivy League with 16.2 points per game. In conference games, she averages an Ivy-best 17.1 points per game. Junior guard Jamie Van Horne averages 9.4 points per game and leads the Ivy League with 2.2 three-pointers per game. Freshman forward Lindsey Williams is the Bulldogs' top rebounder. She pulls down 6.5 boards per contest. Sophomore forward Haywood Wright leads the Ivy League in blocks (1.6 bpg). Senior guard Stephanie Marciano, the team captain, is playing her final games as a Bulldog this weekend. Marciano, who is averaging 3.2 assists per game this season, ranks fifth in school history with 307 career assists.

DISSECTING DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth (12-14, 9-3 Ivy) has won four straight and eight out of 10 to jump into a tie for second place with Cornell. The Big Green can force at least a tie with a sweep and at least one Harvard loss this weekend. Freshman forward Brittany Smith, the likely Ivy Rookie of the Year, leads the league with 8.0 rebounds per game. She also ranks ninth in the league in scoring (10.6 ppg) and third in blocks (1.0 bpg). Junior guard Koren Schram leads the Big Green and ranks seventh in the Ivy League with 11.0 points per game. Schram leads the league in free throw percentage (.833) and three-pointers per game (2.2), and ranks second in steals (2.2). Senior forward Sydney Scott averages 7.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Senior guard Kristen Craft leads the Big Green with 3.0 assists per game. As a team, Dartmouth allows just 57.1 points per game and pulls down an Ivy-leading 37.5 rebounds per contest.

CRIMSON CONVERSATION
The first-place Crimson (17-9, 10-2 Ivy) entered Friday night's game at Brown the winners of four straight and 10 out of 11. Harvard clinches at least a share of the Ivy title with one win this weekend, and wins the championship outright with a sweep. The NCAA bid would be the Crimson's second straight and seventh all-time. Junior forward Katie Rollins leads the team with 11.3 points per game and leads the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.535). Senior guard Lindsay Hallion is eighth in the Ivy League in scoring (11.0 ppg), third in free throw percentage (.788), fourth in assists (3.6 apg), fifth in steals (1.6 spg), and second in assist/turnover ratio (1.33). Junior guard Emily Tay, a First Team All-Ivy choice last season, is making a case for Ivy Player of the Year. She averages 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Senior forward Adrian Budischak leads the Crimson with 5.4 rebounds per game.

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