Box Score
NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Bard College men's basketball team has started the 2013-14 season with quite a splash.
After upending tournament host Connecticut College on Saturday night, the Raptors defeated Suffolk University, 85-75, in the Coaches vs. Cancer Tip-Off Championship game on Sunday.
It's the first 2-0 start since Bard joined in the NCAA, and it's also the program's first regular season tournament championship since the Bard Raptors Classic in 2007.
Senior
Lamar Powell led Bard on Sunday with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor and was named the Most Outstanding Player. Freshman
Alex Fabean-Scotch had 16 points and five assists and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
"We scouted them on (Saturday), and we felt really good coming into the game," Bard coach Adam Turner said. "We felt like we matched up well with them and we expected to win, which is a different feeling for us. They are a good team and we're very excited."
The Raptors never trailed on Sunday, though the Rams (1-1) were always within shouting distance. The score was tied twice in the first half, but Bard was up 44-36 at the break. The Raptors shot 51 percent from the field in the first half, and got 14 from Powell and 10 from junior
Siondueh Burnette.
The lead got as big as 12 in the second half, and the margin never got closer than six. A layup by Adam Chick (Northbrook, IL) made it 77-70 with 2:23 left, but a hoop by
Chris McNaughton pushed it back to 79-70 with 1:47 to go, and the Rams never got closer. Chick finished with a team-high 20 for the losers.
For Bard, McNaughton and Burnette finished with 14 points apiece.
Berk Atuk added six points and a team-high 10 rebounds;
Pat Kelly contributed eight points and six rebounds; and Kelly, Fabean-Scotch and
Zach Goodman handed out five assists apiece. The Raptors shot 54 percent from the field for the game.
"I was most impressed with (Powell's) leadership down the stretch," Turner said. "He was calm, he was poised, he was resilient and in control. Suffolk had some real playmakers and they were deep; we just executed really well on offense and got some great looks."
The Raptors don't have much of a break before their next game, at Drew University on Tuesday night at 7.
"The guys are starting to feel like it's finally time," Turner said. "They're starting to see the results of all the hard work over the years. We've lost a lot of games and we have bumps and bruises, but we think it's finally time."
Coaches vs. Cancer Tip-Off Tournament
All-Tournament Team
Lamar Powell                          Bard College               Most Outstanding Player
Alex Fabean-Scotch         Bard College
Rob Harrigan                          Connecticut College
Sam Nwadike                         Suffolk University
Matt Powers                            Suffolk University
Dennis Rinaldi             Western New England University
