Elis look to improve Ivy standings on road trip

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Forward Lily Glick, ES '01, is shooting for an Ivy sweep.

Despite a 5-7 Ivy League record, the women's basketball team can accomplish two things in the final weekend of their season. With a pair of victories, the team could improve its position to as high as third in the conference. And a victory over Dartmouth could be a major factor in determining which team represents the Ivy League in the NCAA Championship Tournament in March.

The Bulldogs are looking to finish the season the way it began--with four straight victories. Getting those wins, however, will not be easy. The Elis play on the road this weekend at Dartmouth (15-8, 8-3 Ivy) and at Harvard (9-14, 5-6 Ivy). Both games have interesting story lines aside from Yale's obvious goal of finishing with a .500 league record.

The Dartmouth contest could have a direct bearing on the Ivy League championship. Currently, Dartmouth sits in second place in the league, a game behind Princeton (14-9, 9-2 Ivy). However, Dartmouth has beaten the Tigers twice during the season (including a dominating 64-40 victory on Fri., Feb. 19), and both teams have three games remaining in their league schedule. A loss to Yale could place the Big Green's title hopes in serious jeopardy, because Princeton is likely to pick up two wins this weekend against cellar-dwelling Columbia and Cornell, who have a combined Ivy League record of 6-18.

Despite the obvious significance of the Yale-Dartmouth matchup, however, the two teams are trying not to let the potential postseason ramifications get in the way of concentrating on the task at hand.

"While the games are must-wins for us, we're looking at the Ivy League standing part as a bit out of our hands," Big Green junior guard Courtney Banghart said. "We're just focusing on winning the games we have left, starting with Yale. We know it will be a challenge--they have some good size inside, and we'll have to use our quickness to get a victory."

While it is easy to say that it is only the 40 minutes of game time that motivates players, the possibility of shaking up the league title picture is in the back of some Bulldogs' minds.

"Being able to play a part in the Ivy title definitely gives us a little added incentive," forward Lily Glick, ES '01, said. "We know about our own record and the chance we have to move up in the standings. Coach [Cecilia De-Marco] reminds us of those numbers in the beginning of the week. We have gone through our usual tough week of practice--but it's still in the back of our minds."

If Yale has any chance of beating the Big Green, they will have to improve on their showing the last time the two teams met, which left the Blue on the wrong side of a 56-47 decision on Sun., Jan. 31.

"We need to handle their pressure defense better this time around," guard Kelly Denit, DC '00, said. "They always come hard at the ball, and we need to take care of it and not turn it over. We also need to keep up our defensive intensity and play good denial defense."

The game will be an even bigger challenge since Dartmouth's Leede Arena is one of the tougher places to play in the league--the Big Green has lost only one league home game this year. But Yale can use the intense atmosphere to its advantage.

"They have a good basketball crowd up there," Glick said. "They really come out and support their girls. And Yale is a favorite to root against. Personally, the crowd intensity pisses me off. I use it as a motivating factor."

A pair of wins would be the perfect way to cap off the four Yale seniors' last games. DeMarco feels it is precisely the play of the seniors--guard Natasha Archer, MC '99, forward Christina Bertao, JE '99, forward Autumn Braddock, BK '99, and center Katy Grubbs, SM '99-- that will decide if the team goes out as winners or losers.

"Last weekend, the seniors played the way I had hoped they would all year long," DeMarco said. "If they play as a group, there are few teams that can beat us. What will make the difference this weekend is the sense of urgency for the players. It's the last time this season--and for the seniors their careers--that they will wear the uniforms. They need to understand that. If the last weekend of your season doesn't get you ready to play your best, I don't know what will."

Apparently, DeMarco's message of urgency is getting through to her players. Captain Braddock knows that two victories would bring a great close to her Yale career.

"I know we'll be motivated to give it our all," Braddock said. "Winning both games will give us a better spot in the standings and not only give us a sweep for the weekend, but also against Harvard this season--we'd love to go out that way."

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