(Autumn McPherson Photo)
It seemed as if the Dartmouth Big Green couldn’t miss in the first half–and it seemed as if there was little the Cowboys could do to keep them scoring.
The Big Green headed into the locker room at halftime with a slim one-point lead over the Cowboys after shooting over 50% from both the field and from deep in the opening frame of play. They also pinned 13 fouls on the Cowboys, making 14 free throws.
“I was not happy with our defensive intensity and intentionality in the first half,” head coach Sundance Wicks said.
Though the Big Green entered the game ranked 108th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage, the Cowboys had been stout defensively beyond the arc all season long. The Cowboys ranked third in the entire nation in three point defense heading into the contest, typically holding opponents to 23.6% from deep.
However, the three-point barrage didn’t relinquish in the second half. The Big Green continued to carve up the Cowboys’ defense, quickly taking their largest lead of the game 51-44.
The Cowboys, though, also had the firepower to keep pace with the Big Green’s red-hot shooting. Leland Walker–one of many players who battled the flu all week long–had every answer early in the second half. A sick Adam Harakow was also instrumental in fueling a second-half comeback, as he scored 15 of his 16 points in the second frame.
A Harakow layup gave the Cowboys a 59-58 lead midway through the second half, sparking the crowd as the Cowboys would eventually snowball that lead into a final score of 93-80.
“It helped a lot, especially for me,” Harakow said of the crowd. “I was also kind of feeling it too, not having the greatest week. Having them support us, it just helps.”
Harakow and Walker were two of five players who finished the contest in double-figures–most of which were struggling with flu and were on IVs before today’s contest.
“I’m really proud of the sick guys, the real sick guys that came back out of this and fought out of the gutter,” Wicks said.
“I just went out and played as hard as I could, even when I got the flu,” Walker said.
The Cowboys have one last home game in their non-conference schedule, where they will look to remain undefeated this season at the Arena-Auditorium against South Dakota.
