Dartmouth earns first Ivy win, Princeton holds on to first place

In the Ancient Eight’s second full weekend of Ivy League play, Princeton continued its domination in the standings despite three weeks of inactivity, while Yale missed a golden opportunity to take control of first place. Harvard went undefeated, and Cornell, Brown, and Dartmouth each posted both a win and a loss. With under 10 games left in the season, the race for the Ivy League title is shaping up to be tighter than expected.

Princeton
The Tigers (15-4, 5-0 Ivy) played and won two games at home this weekend, extending their outstanding win streak to eight and maintaining their position atop the Ivy League. Princeton’s first win came on Friday over the Bears, 57-45, after it returned from a three-weak break. Princeton had difficulties finding its offensive rhythm early on, but Brown failed to capitalize on the home team’s slow start. The Bears managed only one lead in the game. Princeton followed with another win over Yale, defiantly pounding the Bulldogs 72-47 in a battle for first place in the standings. The Tigers will be back in action on Friday, when they play Dartmouth in Hanover.

Harvard
Harvard (11-8, 4-1 Ivy) added to its three-game win streak this weekend, going 2-0 on the road. The Crimson posted similar scores in both games, defeating the Big Red 67-57, and the Lions 68-56. Harvard’s win over Columbia marked the fifth straight win on the road for the Crimson. Harvard also set a program record that night, going 21-for-21 at the free throw line. It will return home to face Penn on Feb. 10.

Yale
The Bulldogs (12-8, 4-2 Ivy) will remember this weekend as their first opportunity to snag the No. 1 ranking in the Ivy League this season and as their first missed opportunity. Although they notched a 72-60 win against Penn on Friday, the Bulldogs were no match for a relentless Princeton team the next day. This cost both first place in the Ivy League and head coach Chris Gobrecht’s 500th career win. The Bulldogs were out-rebounded 61-30, made just two of 15 three-point attempts, and shot just 17-for-68 overall from the field. Yale looks to bounce back from its poor performance this Friday against Cornell.

Cornell
The Big Red (9-10, 3-2 Ivy) went 1-1 this weekend, losing to Harvard 67-57, and winning a defensive game against Dartmouth, 49-45. The Big Red was boosted by a stellar performance from sophomore guard Allyson DiMagno, who contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Cornell will head to New Haven to play Yale this weekend.

Brown
The Bears (12-8, 3-3 Ivy) were on the road this weekend and returned home with a win and a loss. Brown lost to Princeton 57-45 on Friday but recovered nicely in a tight match against Penn, edging the Quakers in overtime, 59-55. The win brought Brown back to .500 in Ivy-League play and dropped the Quakers to 1-4 in the standings. Even though the Bears out-rebounded Penn 59-43 and shot 76 percent from the free-throw line, the Quakers remained resilient until Brown finally put them away after regulation. The Bears will play on Friday against Columbia.

Penn
Penn (8-11, 1-4 Ivy) was unsuccessful each of its two matchups this weekend, falling to both Yale and Brown, 72-60 and 59-55 respectively. The Quakers led at the half against the Bulldogs, but were victimized by Yale’s 13-0 run after halftime and never recovered. Against the Bears, Penn saw eight lead changes, a disappointing overtime and an eventual loss. The Quakers look to redeem themselves against Harvard on February 10.

Dartmouth
The Big Green (3-16, 1-4 Ivy) went 1-1 away from home this weekend, winning 59-44 against a struggling Columbia squad before losing to Cornell in a close game, 49-45. Dartmouth’s triumph over the Lions marked its first Ivy League win this season and also ended a 13-game losing streak for the team. Dartmouth will return home to play league-leading Princeton on Friday.