Green team is game

Going to the NCAA Tournament is nothing new for the Dartmouth women's basketball team, which is making its fifth trip. For that matter, neither is facing the defending national champion, as the Big Green will do Sunday when they play the University of Connecticut -- on the Huskies' home court.

When Dartmouth last made it to the tournament, in 2000, it had to face defending national champion Purdue -- also on the Boilermakers' home court. The Big Green trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half but were ahead with five minutes left before losing, 70-66.

Dartmouth assistant coach Courtney Banghart was on that team, but none of the current players were; most of them hadn't even taken their SATs by that time. The two seniors on last year's team graduated, and now the Big Green are one of only seven Division 1 teams in the country with no seniors. There are three freshmen and four sophomores on the squad.

But that could be a help as much as a hindrance, according to coach Chris Wielgus.

"None of our players has experience in the tournament, but they're all so excited and bubbly," said Wielgus, in her 20th year leading the team. "Certainly we're going to the mecca of women's basketball, but I think a certain competitiveness comes with youthfulness."

Dartmouth (17-10), a 14th seed, has four players averaging in double figures, led by sophomore center Elise Morrison with 15.9 points per game. Morrison is one of six Dartmouth players who missed time this season because of injury or illness; she was out five games with an ankle problem.

But maybe it's a good thing that the team wasn't at full strength until January, said Wielgus. "It made the other players step up more and not rely as much on Elise," she said.

The team won its first nine Ivy League games before losing to Brown Feb. 25. It won the next three, but then lost its last game of the season to Harvard, setting up a playoff game for the NCAA berth, since they tied for the league crown.

In that game, junior guard Angie Soriaga scored a game-high 22 points, and Morrison added 18 with 10 rebounds as Dartmouth defeated Harvard, 75-61, last Saturday at Providence.

The 4 1/2-hour ride back to Hanover, N.H., was a snowy but happy one, said Wielgus. The Big Green learned the next day that they'd face No. 3 seed Connecticut in Storrs this Sunday. Most of the team watched the selection show on TV, but some, like Morrison, were studying for final exams. "I was in a study group for an exam on the Roman Classics, but I got a phone call from my parents," she said.

Wielgus said she gave the team Sunday and Monday off, but now they will be practicing hard. "Some still have papers due [today]," said the coach. "But then they can dedicate themselves to basketball. We just got the tapes and are starting to develop a game plan."

Soriaga, who is from College Station, Texas, said she saw her first snow during her freshman year at Dartmouth. This weekend, she'll be in for another new experience.