The Bard College men's basketball team rode a strong first half en route to a 75-63 win over Mt. St. Mary on Friday night at Elaine & William Kaplan Recreation Center, 75-63. 

Bard (1-1) had four players score double-digit points in the first win of the season, and the first victory for Head Coach Dave Sloan. Senior Elliot Harris was near a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Fellow senior Rowan Heinze totaled 12 points and grabbed five boards, going 8-of-10 from the line. Senior Lazaros Panagiotounis had 10 points, going 7-of-8 from the line, as well as four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Sophomore Connor Melis set a career-high 10 points and was 4-of-4 from the field. 

Senior Azriel Almodovar and Junior Sean Wilcox had five points and four rebounds each, and Almodovar had a team-high four assists. Senior Heston Tucker had eight points and six rebounds while going 3-of-4 from the field. Coming back from injury, senior Cory Dennis added five points and four rebounds. 

The Raptors shot 53 percent from the field in the first half, going 17-of-32, and held Mt. St. Mary (0-3) to just 22 points. The Raptors trailed for the first nine minutes of the game but turned it around after tying the game at 11 at the 11:37 mark. A 22-3 run in a six-minute stretch gave the Raptors a 32-14 lead. The Knights started to come back before a dagger three by Panagiotounis with less than three minutes left in the half, and the Raptors headed into halftime with a 20-point lead.

In the second half, Mt. St. Mary turned things around and outshot Bard from the field, going 13-of-28 while shooting 3-of-8 from behind the arc. The Knights scored 11 points off the Raptors turnovers in the second half. Bard did go 19-of-23 from the free-throw line, which helped the Raptors keep the lead and prevent the Knights completing a comeback.

With less than one minute left, Mt. St. Mary narrowed the deficit to six points, but Bard kept its composure and was 6-of-6 from the line to ensure the victory. 

Bard will be back on the road tomorrow at 6 p.m. as they take on New Paltz to close the Hudson Valley Classic.