NEW YORK, N.Y. - Tuesday night meant Homecoming for the John Jay College men's basketball team. There was a standing-room-only crowd, a smoke machine, an arch made of balloons, and a spotlight so every single player on the roster could run through the smoke and the arch as their names were read during the raucous pregame. It was an electric atmosphere.

Bard ruined it.

With the defense setting the tone, the Raptors scored the first 12 points of the game, led by 20 at halftime and rolled, 84-54, to finish the first semester at 6-3, the best start in the history of the program.

Bard got a block from Armando Dunn 13 seconds into the game, forced a shot clock violation and a backcourt violation in the first two minutes, and ran out to a 12-0 lead before five minutes had elapsed. It quieted the Homecoming crowd, and they never got a chance to get back into it, because Bard never relinquished the lead.

Alijah Rue torched the Bloodhounds for 16 first-half points, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. The Raptors had 15 assists, five steals and four blocks at halftime. It was 46-26.

John Jay (5-3) never got closer than 18 in the second half, as Justyn Rogers scored 10 of his game-high 21 in the final 20 minutes. The Bloodhounds' two top scorers, guard Essien Epps and 6-7 center Doug Levy, were held to eight points apiece on 6-for-26 shooting combined. They were both averaging 17 points per game.

Rogers, playing in front of friends and family, finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Rue had 20 points, five rebounds, six assists and a block. David Runcie added 17 points, three rebounds and four assists. Dunn had nine points and nine rebounds, and freshman Stamatis Koulouris contributed eight points and eight rebounds. The Raptors shot 51 percent from the field while holding John Jay to 32 percent.

All that remains on the schedule for Bard are 16 Liberty League games, beginning with a trip to the North Country on Jan. 4-5, as they take on St. Lawrence and Clarkson, respectively. Follow both games live right here.