On Feb. 8, 1,240 fans packed into Leede Arena for the Winter Carnival men’s basketball game against the Harvard University Crimson.
The crowd turned out, and the Big Green delivered — a walloping 76-56 victory.
The gym was electric for the Alumni Day event, which honored players from the 1996-1997 season and former coach Dave Faucher, who was with the program for 20 years.
“The atmosphere was really strong, and it was great on alumni weekend to have that many alumni back,” head coach Dave McLaughlin said. “We talked about having a shared experience with these guys, and it was good for them to be able to see us compete at that level.”
The tip off went in favor of the Crimson, but a quick step into a jump from guard Romeo Myrthil ’25 gave Dartmouth possession of the ball.
Dartmouth dominated the start of the game, with Brandon Mitchell-Day ’26 putting the first points on the board with a layup 44 seconds in. Mitchell-Day led the Big Green in scoring for the game with 21 points.
Mitchell-Day’s layup kickstarted a six-point unanswered run, with layups from Myrthil and forward Jackson Munro ’26.
Still, Harvard came out strong with a physical defensive presence. The Crimson joined Dartmouth on the scoreboard 3:02 into the game with a jump shot. A 10-2 run then put Harvard in the lead 14-11 with 11:43 remaining in the half.
“Going into the game, coach told us they were going to be physical, and at first, we didn’t respond like we should have,” Mitchell-Day said. “But once we started being more cutthroat with the ball, and being stronger, things started to open up, and options started to open up.”
Dartmouth and Harvard remained neck-and-neck for the first nine minutes, until a combination of layups from Mitchell-Day and two successful free throws from forward Cade Haskins ’25 put Dartmouth in the lead 19-16.
Then the score flipped back. A Crimson steal catalyzed a sequence of layups, one jumper, one three pointer and one free throw to put Harvard back in the lead, 31-24, for the second time in the half.
The Big Green, ready to return the favor, responded with a nine-point unanswered run. Haskins went on a fast break, sinking a three pointer with 3:31 left in the half, followed by a layup from Mitchell-Day.
A Crimson turnover and a steal from Myrthil brought the ball back to Mitchell-Day, who tied up the game with a dunk 2:12 before the end of the half. Roars from fans erupted on all sides of the arena.
Continuing Mitchell-Day’s momentum, guard Ryan Cornish ’25 made his way on the board with a layup, giving the Big Green the edge at the half, 33-31.
The Big Green offense started the second half strong. Cornish opened with an in-the-paint jumper 2:39 into the third quarter — and he refused to let up for the remainder of the game. Cornish ended the second half with 17 field goals — including three 3-pointers.
“My highlights were definitely Ryan’s threes,” Haskins said. “Oh my god, everytime he pulled it, you could tell it was cash. You know, Ryan is amazing, and to see him get like that — it’s awesome.”
Back-to-back points in the paint from Cornish and Mitchell-Day extended Dartmouth’s lead to 35-31. Mitchell-Day kept the heat turned on, sinking another in-the-paint layup at the 17:44 mark.
After the Crimson put up a few shots at the 15:08 mark, Harvard grabbed the lead with a three pointer, making the score 38-37.
It wound up being the last time they held a lead for the rest of the game.
With 14:11 left in the half, Dartmouth quickly snatched back the lead, 40-38, with a layup from Mitchell-Day and a pair of fastbreak free throws from Cornish.
Dartmouth’s lead shrunk to one at the 9:55 mark, with a Crimson in-the-paint layup taking the game to 43-42.
Then suddenly, a game that had lived on the margins broke open. The Big Green vaulted to a thrilling 19-4 run, bringing the score up to 63-48. With 5:17 left in the game, the Crimson hit a fastbreak, in-the-paint lay up, pushing the score to 63-50.
It barely made a dent. Cornish threw down two three-pointers, and Mitchell-Day hit an in-the-paint lay up, widening Dartmouth’s lead to 21. Harvard kept up pressure with a layup, a three pointer and one free throw, topping out at 56 points at the end of the fourth.
Even after a string of solid possessions, Haskins closed Dartmouth scoring with 2:22 left in the game, cementing a 20-point victory. Though not seeing much time on the board, he secured five assists and zero turnovers.
“We pride ourselves on not having made turnovers,” Haskins said. “So, to be a part of that is huge.”
The Big Green return to Leede Arena on Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. to take on the Columbia University Lions. Their last meet-up on Feb. 1 resulted in a win for the Big Green, 95-89. Dartmouth continues conference play with an in-conference record of 4-3.
