The Bard College men's basketball team started strong and built an early lead but ultimately fell short in an intense Liberty League overtime battle against Hobart on Friday night, 66-65 at Bristol Gym. 

Bard (8-6, 3-4 Liberty League) and Hobart (11-2, 4-2) combined for nine ties and 13 lead changes. The Raptors were led by senior Lazaros Panagiotounis with 18 points. Panagiotounis shot 7-of-13 from the floor and added two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Junior Sean Wilcox had a big night with a near-double-double of 14 points and nine rebounds. Wilcox added four blocks and two assists. 

Senior Kevin Le had his best performance of the season with nine points and two rebounds, while fellow senior Azriel Almodovar had a season-high five steals and a team-high three assists. Almodovar and senior Elliot Harris both grabbed five rebounds. 

Bard and Hobart were neck-and-neck throughout the whole game, with the Raptors taking a 31-26 lead at the half. Bard outshot Hobart from the floor (29.3%-29.7%) and the three-point range (31.8%-13.6%), but it was the strong free-throw shooting from the Statesmen and their 46-36 edge in rebounds that ultimately helped Hobart take the victory. 

Bard will head to RPI tomorrow for a 4 p.m. tip-off.