For Cornell’s seniors, the clock is ticking. Dani Aretino, Megan Fannon, Karen Force, Tanya Karcic, Lauren Kilduff, and Katie Romey will have their second to last road trip this weekend against two of the most respected teams in the Ivies, Harvard (10-10, 3-4 Ivy) and Dartmouth (12-8, 5-2).
“This is the second to last road trip for these seniors,” explained head coach Dayna Smith. “I’m looking for all of them to step up.”
The Red (8-13, 3-5) is looking to make up for last weekend’s two disappointing losses to Princeton and Penn. The Red showed little energy in last Friday’s game against Princeton and in turn paid the price, while Penn has been a dominating force all season.
However, Smith does not view this as a must-win weekend.
“We don’t look at this as a do-or-die situation,” said Smith. “We’re just trying to take a look at this weekend as a fresh start.”
The Red starts off with Dartmouth tonight at 7 p.m. in Hanover. The Green has been a tough squad to beat all season, hanging on directly behind Penn in the battle for first place. In addition, the last time these two teams met, Dartmouth’s Elise Morrison was able to use her height to her advantage, registering 26 points. However, this time, the Red knows what to expect and hopes to correct its mistakes from the first contest.
“Last time with Dartmouth up in our gym, we played really good basketball,” said Smith.
As for Harvard, few fans who were there for the Red’s last battle at home against the Crimson will ever forget what occurred. With only seconds left in regulation, the Red tied the game and then won 66-64 in overtime. At the time, many favored defending Ivy-champ Harvard to take the title again. Now it is a different story, with the Crimson holding a 3-4 Ivy record.
Regardless, the Crimson still has quite a bit of outstanding talent. The last time Harvard came into Newman Arena, senior Hana Peljto scored 20 and had 14 rebounds. In addition, the team is still a threat from three-point range.
“Anytime you prepare for Harvard and Dartmouth, you prepare like it’s the toughest road trip in the league no matter what their records are,” Smith explained.
Tip-off against Dartmouth and Harvard will be at 7 p.m. both nights.
Archived article by Michael Pandolfini