ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - In the first half of Saturday's game against Farmingdale State, the Bard College men's basketball team produced the kind of shooting effort it has long been waiting for.

Eight of the Raptors' first nine made field goals were three-pointers, and Bard had  three-point lead with five minutes left in the first half.

That lead evaporated, however, and Farmingdale State dominated the rebounding battle in a hard-fought, 70-60, Skyline Conference victory.

A 12-2 run to close the first half gave the Rams a 39-32 edge, and five minutes into the second half, Bard had cut that lead to just two. The Raptors couldn't get the stops they needed, though, and Farmingdale prevailed to improve to 3-1 in the Skyline Conference and 4-3 overall. Bard is 0-5, 0-9.

Farmingdale State outrebounded Bard, 50-24, and the Rams were especially active on the offensive glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds.

Six-foot-seven senior forward Jermaine Abraham (Brooklyn, NY) did much of the damage, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Bard was led by sophomore Frank Stortini (Red Hook, NY) and junior Yonah Greenstein (Rego Park, NY), who each scored 14 points. Junior Matt Shubert (West Chester, PA) chipped in with 13 points and senior Christian Marghella (Closter, NJ) added seven points and eight rebounds.

The Raptors don't play again until Jan. 8 on the road at St. Joseph's College in Patchogue, N.Y.