While Tuesday night was the return to action for most of the Ancient Eight in 20 months, it was the debut for the league’s two newest coaches. Brown’s Monique LeBlanc was hired after the end of the 2019-20 campaign, but the pandemic kept her off the court for an additional year. Dartmouth’s Adrienne Shibles, meanwhile, came to Hanover in May.
With few returning veterans players on either roster, both coaches face major rebuilding efforts and their teams were picked in the last two spots in the recent preseason poll.
Dartmouth welcomed Rhode Island, the No. 2 rated team in the A-10, while Brown traveled down I-95 to take on Fairfield, picked for third in the MAAC.
Fairfield 76, Brown 52
Coach LeBlanc opted to start four sophomores and a first year to go up against the Stags. The rookie-heavy lineup kept things close early, heading into halftime with only a 31-27 deficit. Unfortunately for the Bears, a 16-3 run by Fairfield to open up the third quarter put them in a deep hole. Bruno cut the lead to 13 early in the fourth quarter, but a 6-0 run by the Stags ended any chance at a comeback.
Fairfield was consistent from the floor, hitting 44% from two and 46% from beyond the arc, but did even more damage on the glass. The Stags were +15 and 21% in rebounds, while limiting Brown to only two second chance points. Despite the difficulties in getting shots on the inside, the Bears managed to hit 54% (13-for-24) of those opportunities. The same could not be said of the outside shooting, with Bruno hitting only 24% (8-for-33).
Callie Cavanaugh led the way for Fairfield with 20 points and eight rebounds, while MAAC preseason Player of the Year Lou Lopez-Senechal added 19 points and six boards. Sophomore guard Charlotte Jewell was a bright spot for Brown, scoring 11 points with 3-for-4 shooting from downtown and a team-high six rebounds.
“I think there were a lot of positives there and I think we worked really hard,” LeBlanc told Brown Athletics. “It showed at times that our starting five and most of our rotation is freshmen or sophomores and it was their first college basketball game, but despite that, they really competed.”
The Bears will next play at Sacred Heart on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m., the second of a season-opening three-game road trip. With the matchup against the Pioneers being the first of four straight games against NEC opponents, the former Merrimack head coach will attempt to use her previous conference experience to get Bruno into the win column.
Rhode Island 83, Dartmouth 37
Missing injured senior guard Katie Douglas, the Big Green started four sophomores and a first-year. The inexperience of the lineup, going up against one of the northeast’s best squads, quickly revealed itself as the Rams opened up a 16-5 lead by the first media timeout. Things didn’t get much better as Dartmouth found itself down 15 after the first 10 minutes and 26 at halftime. Rhode Island stretched the lead to 32 after three quarters and a 19-2 run to start the fourth extended its margin to a game-high 51 points.
The Rams shot a blistering 63% from two and 32% from beyond the arc, while holding a +16 and 13% advantage on the boards The Big Green, meanwhile, hit 28% for two and 15% from three.
Rhode Island was led by grad transfer Chanell Williams and 2021 A-10 Player of the Year Emmanuelle Tahane with 20 and 14 points, respectively. Dartmouth sophomore forward Rosie Jennings had a team- high 11 points (50% shooting) and six rebounds (four offensive).
“Rhode Island is a great team and our young, inexperienced squad showed moments of brilliance against them,” the coach told Dartmouth Athletics. “I’m looking forward to getting back to practice to get ready for UNH.”
The Green will visit the Wildcats on Saturday at 1 p.m., the first of four straight road games.