ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - The Bard College men's basketball team was defeated in overtime by Ithaca College Saturday afternoon, 87-79, in an instant classic.

This game had it all: 12 lead changes, emotions and a great finish. 

To open the game, both sides kept pace with each other. The Raptors used a 7-0 run midway through the first half to go up 19-10, before the Bombers of Ithaca responded with an 8-0 run of their own.

Bard got its lead back up to seven points late in the first half, but Ithaca used a 7-2 run over the final two minutes to enter the half down just three, 30-27.

The back-and-forth action carried into the second half of play, until Ithaca started to pull away five minutes into the frame. The Bombers tallied a 12-0 run to build their lead to 53-43, at which point Bard quickly called timeout to stop the bleeding.

Whatever head coach Adam Turner said in that huddle must have resonated well with his players, as that point marked the start of an 18-4 run for the hosts. 

The run was punctuated with a three pointer from Jelani Bell-Isaac, which put Bard up 61-57 with 4:12 remaining.

Over the final three minutes of regulation, neither side possessed an advantage bigger than two points. In the final minute of the half, freshman Justyn Rogers nailed a pair of free throws to tie the contest up at 70-70. 

On the ensuing possession, Bell-Issac blocked a shot down low and grabbed the rebound to set the Raptors up with one last chance.

Following a timeout, the Raptors allowed the clock to run down, but Alijah Rue's jumper with seven seconds left missed its mark and the game went to overtime.

Things started well for Bard to begin the five-minute frame, as the hosts jumped out to a 77-73 advantage over Ithaca.

The Bombers weren't fazed however, especially their leading scorer on the night, Marc Chasin (Miami, FL), who rattled off seven straight points for the visitors to regain the lead, 80-77.

The Ithaca scoring streak continued as the Bombers scored another seven straight points to extend their lead to 10 late into the OT period, as the visitors would hold on for the victory.

Bard was powered on the afternoon by Rogers, who totaled his second double-double in two days, as he lead the team with 20 points and 12 rebounds. 

The Raptors had three other players finish with double-digit point totals, as Rue collected 16 points and Bell-Issac and David Runcie each scored 14 points.

Chasin meanwhile, led all scorers in the game with 27 points. He also chipped in nine assists and six rebounds. The Bombers also received a double-double from Peter Ezema (New York, NY), who tallied 12 points and 16 rebounds in the win.

Up next for the Raptors is a road contest, as they travel to Connecticut to take on Trinity College. That game is set for December 5th at 7:30 p.m. and you can follow it right here.