ITHACA, N.Y. - It's been said that close early season wins help build late season character. If that's true, the Bard College men's basketball team secured a crucial win and experience Saturday evening, as the Raptors topped Ithaca College, 83-81.

The win pushed the Raptors to 4-3 overall on the season and 2-0 in the Liberty League, with both wins coming on the road. The Bombers of Ithaca College meanwhile dropped to 2-3 and 1-1.

The game was a tale of two halves really, with Bard having enough juice late to pull out the win. After starting the contest with back-and-forth action, the Raptors were able to establish some breathing room with just over three minutes played in the opening half.

From there, Bard proceeded to dominate and led the rest of the frame. After pushing their lead to as many as 13 points late into the half, the Raptors took a 44-34 advantage into halftime. Bard shot 43 percent during the opening 20 minutes, while the Bombers only shot 36 percent. 

It appeared like it would be smooth sailing to a second-straight Liberty League win, but the hosts proved just how valuable halftime adjustments can be. Ithaca came out of the locker room on fire, outscoring Bard 20-5 over the first six minutes of the second half to change a 10-point halftime deficit into a five-point second half lead, 54-49.

The Raptors remained calm and showed just how resilient they are, especially in a tough road environment. Over the final 14 minutes of the game, the two sides traded the lead seven times and were tied five times.

After a pair of Ithaca free throws tied the contest at 74 with 3:49 remaining, Bard secured the lead for good on the next possession on a layup from Alijah Rue. 

Despite the the fact the Raptors held a five-point lead late, the Bombers actually had a chance right at the end to either tie or win the game.

Ithaca's Skylar Sinon (Armonk, NY) drilled a three pointer with four seconds left to cut the deficit to 83-81, while also being fouled on the play. That allowed the Bombers a chance to miss the free throw on purpose in hopes of an offensive rebound. After a timeout, the exact scenario happened. 

Sinon missed off the right of rim, where Riley Thompson (Newtown, PA) was waiting for the offensive board. Thompson was able to get off middle-range jumper, but not before Justyn Rogers raced over and flew through the air for an emphatic block out of bounds as the final horn sounded.

The block was a perfect representation of the effort the squad had just put in and in the end, they team was rewarded with the win. Overall for the game, Bard finished shooting 41 percent from the field, while Ithaca shot just 38 percent. The Raptors crushed the Bombers on the boards, finishing with a 51-38 edge in the category.

Individually, Rogers powered Bard in the win. He scored a game-high 27 points on 8-of-15 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Armando Dunn continued his impressive senior season, finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds. David Runcie added 15 points and Rue tallied 12 points in the winning effort.

For Ithaca, Thompson led the team with 26 points. Sinon added 17 points and Sebastian Alderete (Miami Springs, FL) scored 15 points.

Up next for Bard is a home game with Pratt Institute on December 8th at 3 p.m. You can follow that game right here.