ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - After being up 13 in the first half, then down 14 in the second half, the fact that Bard's battle with Wesleyan was a one-possession game with 12 seconds left was a minor miracle.

The opportunity for a major miracle was missed, however, and Wesleyan survived, 80-74, in a non-league game on Tuesday night.

The Cardinals, who won the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament last season and went to the NCAA Tournament, returned their top seven scorers this fall. Big from top to bottom, Wesleyan withstood a burst from Bard in the first half, cut a 13-point deficit to one by the break, then blasted the Raptors with a 20-5 run to start the second half.

It looked like it was over at 57-43 with 13:25 to go.

Bard's response started at about the nine-minute mark. A short jumper from Brandon Cunningham, then five straight points from Emmanuel Rainey, and it was a game again at 59-53. A steal and two foul shots from Tim Quashie cut the lead to five, and after Wesleyan missed a three-pointer, Caleb LaRosa hit two more free throws to make it 60-57 with 6:38 left. That was a 14-3 run.

Wesleyan maintained the lead with some solid foul shooting, but another steal and layup from Quashie, and Bard was down 69-67 with 2:46 left. A minute later, after another pair of Wesleyan free throws, Emmanuel Rainey's layup trimmed the lead to two again, 71-69, with 1:44 on the clock.

BJ Davis (Hamden, CT) made 1-of-2 free throws at the other end, and a Cunningham layup sent the Stevenson Athletic Center fans into a frenzy to make it 72-71 with 50 seconds left. 

Davis hit a jumper with 36 seconds to go, and Rainey made 1-of-2 foul shots at the other end. Bard fouled Davis again down two, and he made both, making it 76-72 with 20 seconds left.

Rainey was fouled on Bard's next possession and made both free throws, and the Raptors fouled Harry Rafferty (Dubuque, IA) with 15 seconds showing. He made the first and missed the second, and Bard called time out, down 77-74, with 12 seconds remaining.

Bard drew up a play for a potential game-tying three, but Jordan Sears (Plainfield, NJ) came up with a steal with four seconds left, and that sealed it.

Wesleyan got 31 points and five rebounds from Davis, and 13 points and nine boards from Rashid Epps (New York, NY). The Cardinals (2-1) outrebounded Bard, 42-32. They continue their tour of the Liberty League at Union's Sig Mikofski Classic this weekend. They'll play Clarkson on Saturday and Union on Sunday.

Two of Bard's top scorers, DeVahnte Mosley and Armando Dunn, were saddled with foul trouble all night and eventually each fouled out with about five minutes left. Mosley was held without a point for just the second time in his college career, and Dunn finished with four points in 19 minutes. It was Rainey, for the second straight game, who led Bard in scoring. He had 25 points and five rebounds. The freshman Quashie was a revelation, scoring 14 after playing just seven minutes in Bard's opener. Cunningham added 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

The Raptors (1-1) are off until next week, when they travel to take on SUNY Cobleskill on Tuesday night.