ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Tuesday night's season opener for the men's basketball teams from Bard College and John Jay was close.

It was close for 18 minutes of the first half, and the second half was played evenly.

But in the last two minutes of the first half, John Jay outscored Bard, 11-1, and that cushion proved to be insurmountable as John Jay prevailed, 69-58, in a non-conference game.

The Raptors (0-1) opened the game with three-pointers from Lamar Powell and Francis Arnold, but the game stayed within a point or two for most of the rest of the first half. When Ben Kane made a foul shot with 2:38 left, John Jay (1-0) held a 22-20 lead.

But a jumper from senior Jerome Alexander (Brooklyn, NY) was followed by a steal and another three-pointer by senior Joseph Padell (Staten Island, NY). After a Bard turnover and a time out, senior Matt Collins (Glendale, NY) hit a three-pointer and it was 30-20 just like that. The Bloodhounds had scored eight points in 54 seconds.

John Jay's lead grew to 13 early in the second half, but Bard cut it to six twice, the last time with 5:49 left in the game after a three-pointer by Jeremy Arnstein.

Alexander, who led all scorers with 25 points, scored the next six points for John Jay and Bard never got closer. Collins finished with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and also grabbed eight rebounds.

The Raptors shot 25 percent in the first half and 47 percent in the second half, but were hurt by their performance from the foul line: 13-for-27.

For Bard, freshman Francis Arnold led the team with 14 points (in 21 minutes) and three steals. Frank Stortini finished with six points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while freshman Siondueh Burnette added seven points and eight rebounds.

Bard next travels to Middletown, Conn., on Friday to take part in the Inn at Middletown Tournament, hosted by Wesleyan University. The Raptors will play Wesleyan on Friday, then either Curry College of Johnson State on Saturday.