TROY, N.Y. - The Bard College men's basketball team lost a tight contest Saturday afternoon at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 67-62, in a Liberty league showdown.

The Raptors rallied from a 16-point second half deficit to get the game to just a one possession game late in the second half, but RPI was able to hang on.

To begin the contest, each team started slow as neither could build an advantage.

Once the first half passed the midway point, the Engineers of RPI were able to get in front and hold on to the lead. The hosts used a 15-2 run to push their lead to 23-11 with just 3:47 remaining in the half.

The 12-point lead continued into halftime, as RPI held a 34-22 advantage.

Over the first six minutes of the second half, things remained the same for Bard. Each time the Raptors cut into the deficit, the Engineers responded with a basket of their own.

The visitors faced their biggest deficit of the game with just 13:56 remaining, as RPI pushed its advantage to 48-32.

However, the Raptors, who have thrived in the face of adversity all season long, weren't finished. Over the next eight minutes, Bard outscored RPI, 17-4 to cut the lead to just three points. 

To stop the bleeding, the hosts quickly called timeout to regroup. Following the timeout, the Engineers returned to their previous in-game form and preceded to build the lead back up to 11 points with just 2:38 remaining at 63-52.

But once again, Bard answered.

The Raptors used tight defense and three point shooting to cut the lead back down to three points with just 23 seconds remaining at 65-62.

On the ensuing play, the Raptors again forced a turnover and nearly cut the lead to just a point with 13 seconds left, but Justyn Rogers' layup somehow rimmed out and RPI came up with the rebound. 

The Engineers nailed a pair of free throws following a quick Bard foul and were able to hold on for the win.

Emmanuel Oyakhilome led the way for the Raptors in the effort, as he finished with a team-high 23 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three point range. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

Alijah Rue was the only other Raptor to hit double-digits, he finished with 10 points and three steals.

On the other side, Andreas Kontopidis (Sherborn, MA) powered RPI with a game-high 30 points. Tom Horvat (Cranston, RI) tallied 17 points in the win. 

Up next for Bard is the first of three home games this week, as the team hosts Union College on January 16th at 8 p.m. You can follow that game right here.