Box Score
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Considering the 83-37 loss to Skidmore back on Jan. 31, considering the results against common opponents, and considering the alignment of the planets, the cycles of the moon and every other possible indicator you can think of, there was simply no way the Bard College men's basketball team was going to throw a scare into the Thoroughbreds on Saturday.

Boo!

The Raptors pushed another playoff contender to the limit and actually led briefly in the second half before falling, 65-52.

It was a crucial win for Skidmore (15-8, 9-5 Liberty League), which saw its five-game winning streak snapped the night before at Vassar. As Skidmore was fighting off pesky Bard, RIT and Vassar were losing at home on Saturday, which allowed the Thoroughbreds to jump over both teams into second place. The top four teams in the league standings make the playoffs, and there's one week left in the regular season.

Bard didn't make it easy. A 14-0 run culminated with a tip-in from freshman Garrett Clifton, and Bard had a 22-13 lead with 9:29 to go in the half. After a time out, Skidmore went on an 11-0 run to take the lead, then a 9-4 run over the last 3:43 to take a 33-26 lead into halftime.

Early in the second half, Bard just wouldn't go away. Three foul shots from Alex Fabean-Scotch and a three-pointer from Clifton gave the Raptors a stunning 39-38 lead with 13:21 to go.

A 10-1 run by Skidmore might have been it for Bard, but the Raptors fought back again with a three-pointer from Harry Johnson and five straight points from senior Lamar Powell to make it 50-48 Skidmore with 6:03 left.

The Thoroughbreds had one good run left in them, though, and Bard didn't. It ended up being a 15-4 run to end the game and Skidmore seemed happy to get on the bus and go home.

Sophomore Erik Sanders (New York, NY) led Skidmore with 16 points and eight rebounds. Connor Merrill (Panton, VT) added 15 points and eight rebounds, Tanner Brooks (Pikesville, MD) added 13 points, and Aldin Medunjanin (New York, NY) finished with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals.

In his last home game, Powell led Bard with 18 points. With two games left, he needs 32 points to reach 1,000 for his career. Fabean-Scotch finished with 13 points, and Siondueh Burnette had 11 points and seven rebounds. It was also the last home game for senior Ben Kane.

Bard is 5-18 overall, 0-14 in the Liberty League. The Raptors have led five of their home conference games in the second half, but they've been unable to pull one out. They have two more chances to win a league game this season - at Clarkson on Friday and at St. Lawrence on Saturday.

Follow both of those contests live right here.