Big Green out to defend consecutive Ivy titles

By Andrew sweet

Staff Writer

sweetad@sas.upenn.edu

After nearly upsetting No. 3 seed Rutgers in last year's NCAA tournament, the Dartmouth women entered this season with some major question marks. The Big Green lost All-Ivy first team players Jeannie Cullen and Angie Soriaga. Cullen was the team's leading scorer, and Soriaga led the team in both steals and assists.

In addition, All-Ivy center Elise Morrison is unable to compete this season due to an injury. In three games last year, Morrison averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds. It was previously assumed that Morrison would be back this season, but her injury has lingered and kept her off the court. Morrison is no longer listed on the team's official roster.

In response to these losses, several Dartmouth players have stepped up to keep the Big Green in a position to make a push for another tournament birth.

Ashley Taylor registered 30 points against Holy Cross. The senior has contributed 20-plus points in her last three outings. She also leads the team with 24 steals.

Forward Sydney Scott owns the glass for the Big Green, registering a team-leading 121 rebounds. Last year, the junior's rebounding contribution was a big reason Dartmouth was able to reach the postseason.

The Big Green also have hopes for the future. Sophomore guard Koren Schram has been a consistent scoring threat all season. Her team-leading 18 points against No. 3 Duke was almost 50 percent of the entire team's offensive output in the 77-40 Blue Devil rout.

How good is Dartmouth? The Big Green have experience in big games and know how to win the close ones. The reigning Ivy Champs were within two possessions of Rutgers, and have won the past two Ivy League championships with 12-2 records.

Last year, the Big Green were victorious in their the last two games of the season against Brown and Princeton to force a three-way tie and earn their second straight title.

Cowher Power. Bill Cowher may have left the NFL, but the family name is still in full force in the Ivy League. Princeton's Meagan Cowher, the daughter of the former Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach, has averaged 28.8 points in her last four games.

Cowher netted 31 points against Columbia and 35 against Cornell, earning her a second straight Ivy League Player of the Week award. Her consistent string of strong performances has created individual attention beyond her recognizable last name.

Cowher's 35-point performance was just three short of the single-game record for Princeton. She is now just 34 points short of being the 17th Princeton player to reach 1,000 points.

The Lady Tigers were predicted to place first in the league by the media before the season. So far, Princeton has started the season 2-1 and sits at 3rd place in the Ancient Eight. Its loss came to league-leading Cornell, which is sitting at 3-0.

Cowher is also joined on the Tiger's squad by her younger sister, Lauren. The freshman has only played in a pair of games this season. Unlike Meagan, who was Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Lauren will probably have to wait until later in her career to make a significant impact for the Tigers.

Bill Cowher was recently seen at the Palestra shortly after his resignation announcement, watching his two girls as they took down the Quakers on January 6th.

Tour De Force. The undefeated Cornell Big Red have found success after a foreign intervention. Molina Snyder, a junior forward from Nice, France, is in the top five on the team in all major categories.

In the past two games, Snyder shot 56.3 percent from the floor. She earned a double-double against pre-season favorite Princeton with her 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Snyder's game took an upswing after an early-season match-up against Lafayette. Since the game against the Leopards on November 18th, the junior has scored an impressive 140 points.

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