ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Four Raptors scored in double figures Saturday afternoon to power the Bard College men's basketball team to a Liberty League victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 68-54.

Armando Dunn, Alijah Rue and Justyn Rogers each finished with 13 points, while David Runcie collected 12 points in the winning effort. It was a great performance for the Raptors, as they led from nearly start to finish.

After back-and-forth action paced the opening minutes of the game, Bard was able to jump in front near the midway mark of the opening half.

Over the final 11 minutes of the frame, the Raptors outscored the Engineers, 21-6, to flip a 10-9 deficit into a 30-16 halftime lead. The Raptors' scoring streak continued into the second half, as their lead eventually ballooned to 18 points, leading 41-23 with just under 16 minutes to go. At that point, it appeared as if Bard was going to cruise to an easy victory.

However, in the Liberty League, there is no such thing as an easy victory.

Over the next eight minutes, RPI began to slowly but surely chip away at the 18-point Bard advantage. The comeback attempt finally culminated in a layup from Tom Horvat (Cranston, RI), which cut the score to 50-47 with 7:51 left. To make matters worse, Horvat was fouled during the layup to set up a three-point play chance.

Fortunately for Bard, he missed the free throw attempt and the Raptors were able to extend their lead on the follow possession, thanks to a three-pointer from Rogers. From there, the hosts were reinvigorated. The shots that had started to fall for RPI suddenly reverted back to misses, as tight defense from Bard held the Engineers in check the rest of the way.

Defense was key for Bard on the day, as the Raptors held RPI to just 23 percent shooting in the first half and 32 percent for the game. Bard forced 14 turnovers and limited Horvat, RPI's leading scorer, to just 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting. 

Offensively for Bard, the hosts outpaced RPI rather easily, shooting 41 percent overall and 46 percent from three-point range. They also limited their turnovers to just 10 in the win.

With the result, the Raptors improved to 7-6 overall and 3-3 in the Liberty League. Meanwhile for RPI, the Engineers dropped to 9-5 and 4-3. 

Up next for Bard is another Liberty League home game, as the team welcomes Union College on January 15th. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and you can follow it right here.