Clinging to a slim two-point lead over Columbia with just over two minutes left in the first half, Dartmouth’s trio of Aaryn Rai, Brendan Barry and Dame Adelekun took over and scored 43 of the Big Green’s final 47 points to lead the way to a 76-63 victory at Levien Gymnasium on a snowy Saturday in New York City.
The Lions (4-14, 1-5 Ivy) came out of the gate strong, hitting four of their first give shots during a 10-0 run after Rai led off with a quick jumper. The Green (5-12, 2-4 Ivy) then went on their own 8-0 run with Cam Krystkowiak hitting two three pointers to make it 10 all at the 15-minute mark.
After Ike Nweke’s jumper gave the Lions a six-point advantage with just under seven minutes left in the left in the half, Garrison Wade hit three straight three-pointers for Dartmouth to spark a 9-2 run and give the Green their first lead of the day at 26-25. Taurus Samuels added his own triple, the first points of the day for the team’s leading scorer, to extend the lead to four. Nweke nailed another jumper at the 2:30 minute mark to make it a 29-27 game.
Barry, Dartmouth’s leading scorer, finally got on the board with a floater and finished the frame scoring four of the Green’s last six points as they went into the locker room with a 35-30 lead.
The Big Green, which entered the day taking over 45% of their shots from beyond the arc, attempted 69% of their shots from downtown in the first half. While starting off cold over the first 12 minutes, making only two of 12, they finished with a strong 4-for-8 effort. The Lions focused more on the inside, making 62% (8-for-13) of their two-pointers to stay close.
Wade led the way for Dartmouth in the opening half, scoring 11 points, while Nweke made five of six shots for 10 points.
With the Green holding a five-point lead early in the second half, Rai, Barry and Adelekun went on a 10-0 run to make it 49-34 with just over 15 minutes remaining. Just when things looked like they might get out of hand for the home team, Nweke, Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa and Patrick Harding scored the next seven points to make it 49-41.
The lead was still eight, 60-52, when Rai hit a triple from the left elbow and a left baby hook in the lane to make it 65-53 with 5:30 to go in the second half. Ryan Cornish grabbed a loose ball on the next Dartmouth possession, kicking it out to Barry at the top of the key and the team’s leading three-point shooter hit his first triple of the day to make it a 15-point advantage for the visitors.
Columbia’s Liam Murphy responded with a three, his fifth of the afternoon, but that would be as close as the Light Blue would get.
The Green changed tactics in the second half, attempting 70% of their shots from two (21-for-30) and making 62% (13-for-21) of them. Rai, Barry and Adelekun combined for 39 of the team’s 41 second-half points, making 86% (12-for-14) of their inside attempts and helping Dartmouth to 10 more points in the paint than Columbia.
Dartmouth ended the day matching their season’s three-point shooting success of 35% (9-for-29), but their 67% from inside the arc (20-for-30) greatly exceeded their 47% season rate. Defensively, the Green held the Lions to 32% (6-for-19), which was well below their top-69 rating of 36%, and limited Nweke to five points on 17% from the field in the second half. They also forced Columbia into 15 turnovers and scored 19 points off those miscues, a 13-point advantage over their hosts.
Rai finished with 20 points (18 in the second half) and Barry totaled 13 points for the victors. Adelekun added 12 points and six rebounds, with all but one rebound occurring in the second half. Murphy had 17 points, Nweke scored 15 points and Harding put up 12 on 83% shooting in the defeat.
Dartmouth will look to keep its winning ways going when it travels to Yale and Brown next weekend, while the Lions try to get back into the win column as they host Penn and Princeton.