ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Bard men's basketball team defeated the USMMA Merchant Marines in its home opener on Friday night, 75-63, at Stevenson Athletic Center, as the Raptors hosted their Campus/Fan Appreciation night.

Bard had one player with a near-double-double: Angelos Bratakos, who led the charge with a career-high 21 points and shot almost 50% from the field. Bratakos added eight rebounds, the second highest, right behind Jalen Umstead. Umstead had a team-high of nine rebounds and four incredible blocks from the paint, both career highs.

Max Frei added 17 points, giving him a new career-high and keeping his streak of double-digit points in each game. He also added five rebounds. Frei was efficient on the court as he had the top plus-minus of +16. Lucas Tovar had a career-high 12 points and seven steals, adding six assists and three rebounds, shooting 6-of-11. 

The first-year class stepped up tonight, with Klaudius Skehel leading the group with a career-high nine points, shooting 3-for-3 from behind the arc, and dishing out five assists. Dimitrios Zampoukas was next with six points, shooting 2-for-4 from the three-point range. He also added four assists, setting a new career-high. Bryce Sampah added four points, shooting 2-for-3 from the field. 

Merchant Marine took the lead in the game's first five minutes, but at 15:31, the Raptors went on a run to take a 7-6 lead halfway through the first half. The Merchant Marines fought back and were within 7 points of Bard with almost 10 minutes left, but the Raptors went on a 15-8 run. Bard shot 45.2% from the field. Merchant Marine struggled offensively, shooting 2-of-17 from behind the arc and 1-of-10 from the field. 

In the second half, Bard held off Merchant Marine, despite hot shooting from behind the arc (7-of-14). The Raptors caught fire from deep as well, hitting  9-of-15 from downtown (60%). Merchant Marine trailed behind Bard, as the Marines were five points behind with 10 minutes remaining, having a score of 41-to-46. The Mariners reduced the deficit to single digits in the second half due to an 11-0 run. However, Bard answered, ultimately leaving the Raptors with a 75-63 win.  

Bard will play Purchase tomorrow at 4 p.m. for its second home game of the season.