The Bard College men's basketball team made a strong second-half push against Mt. St. Mary on Friday night, but the Raptors could not overcome a slow start and fell, 62–55.
Mount St. Mary opened the game on a 9–0 run, forcing Bard into an early timeout as the Raptors searched for offensive rhythm. Bard chipped away behind back-to-back threes from
Angelos Bratakos, and later a pair of triples from
Seth Dyer, but the Knights' early shot-making kept the hosts in front. Bard trailed by as many as 15 before settling in defensively, holding MSMC to one field goal over the final three minutes of the half to head into the locker room down 31–22.
The Raptors found their stride after the break. Bratakos knocked down another three to spark the offense.
Azikiwe Cuffy-Scott established himself inside, and Bard's defense forced several empty Knights possessions. A transition layup from Dyer and a tough finish by Bratakos trimmed the deficit to 44–40, and soon after, Dyer drilled a deep three to keep the pressure on. Cuffy-Scott followed with a burst of his own — a dunk, free throws, and an interior score — as the Raptors continued their climb.
With 3:44 left,
Max Frei buried a three off a
Lucas Tovar assist, pulling Bard within 51–52, the closest the Raptors had been since the opening minutes. However, MSMC responded immediately, converting a layup, knocking down a three, and capitalizing on a Bard turnover to push the lead back to seven. Bard continued to fight as Cuffy-Scott scored again inside, and Frei added a key block on the defensive end — but the Knights made their free throws in the final minute to secure the win.
Dyer led the Raptors with a career-high 14 points, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Bratakos added 13 points, while Cuffy-Scott provided a career-high night of 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Frei chipped in 6 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block, while Tovar collected six rebounds and six assists.
The Raptors outscored MSMC 33–31 in the second half and held the Knights under 33 percent shooting after halftime.
Bard returns to action tomorrow when they head to New Paltz at 6 p.m.
