ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - The upcoming winter break will indeed be the most wonderful time of the year for the Bard College women's basketball team, as the Raptors topped the University of Saint Joseph Wednesday night, 78-57, in their final game of 2018.

With the win, the Raptors improved to 4-3 heading into the winter break. The Blue Jays of Saint Joseph meanwhile, fell to 2-8 on the year.

To begin the game, it was the Blue Jays who jumped in front, outscoring the hosts 10-4 over the opening five minutes. Bard struggled with turnovers and missed shots to start, but soon found its groove.

The Raptors reeled off the next eight points to grab the lead, 12-10, before a three pointer from Silvana Barcomb (Middletown, CT) ended the Bard run and momentarily put Saint Joseph ahead, 13-12. 

On the next trip down the court, Olivia Couture nailed a three pointer of her own, as Bard jumped back in front. Over the final three minutes of the quarter, the two sides traded baskets to a 17-17 tie score after one frame.

Couture opened the second quarter with a pair of free throws and a mid-range jumper to put Bard ahead once more, 21-17. From that point on, the Raptors led the rest of the way, but the Blue Jays kept things close throughout the second quarter.

It wasn't until the final two minutes of the half that Bard was finally able to put some breathing room between itself and Saint Joseph, as the hosts carried a 38-31 lead into halftime.

Following the break, the Raptors came out on fire, outscoring the guests, 23-7, in the third quarter. On the night, the Raptors shot 42 percent from the field and collected 53 rebounds to Saint Joseph's 35. 

Christina Kiser continued her impressive freshman campaign, pouring in 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting. She also added eight rebounds, five assists, four steals, four blocks and was 9-for-9 from the free throw line.

Couture finished with 16 points off the bench, which was a new career high for her. Katie Esposito added 14 points, while Jess Rylander finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. Kate Shamro grabbed 12 rebounds (six offensive) in the win. 

For Saint Joseph, Barcomb and Melicia Mendez (Hartford, CT) each scored 12 points in the effort.

The Raptors will now enjoy the next month off for the winter break before returning to the court on January 4th. Bard will be at St. Lawrence that day and tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. You can follow that contest right here.