ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Earlier in January when the Bard College men's basketball team visited Liberty League powerhouse Skidmore, the Raptors had an off day. The final score was 63-37.

On Saturday, Skidmore visited Annandale. Looking back, maybe that previous result wasn't just a bad day. It was Skidmore's fault. The Thoroughbreds used stifling defense and throttled the Raptors again, 61-39.

After scoring 80 in a win over Union less than 24 hours earlier, Bard was unable to get many good looks, and the few that came didn't result in baskets. The game was close and low-scoring early, but Skidmore bullied its way to a 27-18 halftime lead. Although the deficit was only nine, it felt bigger because every offensive possession was such a challenge. The possibility of it quickly getting out of control was palpable.

Skidmore pushed the lead to 16 just two minutes into the second half, and although Bard got it back to 12 a few minutes later, they never got closer. Skidmore improved to 11-6 overall and 8-1 in the Liberty League, and Bard fell to 9-10, 4-6.

Junior Erik Sanders (New York, NY) led the winners with 24 points. Royce Paris (Harlem, NY) added 12, and Connor Merrill (Panton, VT) added 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Raptors did not have a player finish in double figures. Alex Fabean-Scotch had nine points; Harry Johnson and Brandon Cunningham had eight each, and Cunningham added 11 rebounds. Bard enjoyed a 40-33 rebounding edge but turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 25 Skidmore points.

Six conference games remain for Bard, starting with a trip up North next weekend. The Raptors will play at St. Lawrence on Friday and at Clarkson on Saturday.

Follow both games live right here.