The Bard College women's basketball team battled against Sage on the road on Saturday afternoon for its season opener. 

Morgan Kottka debuted with an impressive scoring output, with 14 points on 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-7 from downtown. She added five rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Lexi Miller played a team-high 35 minutes, tying a career-high with 18 rebounds and adding a steal, a block, and an assist. Shirley Dong had 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal, making 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

Erin Tobes had a game-high five assists while also contributing seven rebounds and two points. Tianna Gonzalez was a spark off the bench, collecting two steals, a block, six rebounds (five offensive) and four points. Jessica Martin had five points and two rebounds, while Ava Gregory chipped in two steals, two points, and two rebounds in her first collegiate game.

Bard started strong, with back-to-back threes by Dong and Kottka to open the game. Sage responded and took its first lead with a 7-0 run. After a quarter, the teams were knotted at 14-14. With 7:44 remaining in the second quarter, the Raptors edged ahead 18-17 and held the Gators scoreless for over four minutes. However, Sage had an 8-0 run to create some separation. The Gators got 12 points from their bench in the second quarter, compared to Bard's two.

Sage brought the lead to 13 after a Bard scoring drought. With 43 seconds left in the third quarter, Dong hit a jump shot, and on the following possession, Miller recorded a steal that led to a last-second three from Martin. However, Sage scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, overcoming the Raptors' 6-2 advantage in points in the paint. The Gators hit 3-of-5 three-pointers and 8-of-14 free throws in the frame.

Bard travels to the Alfred tournament next weekend, with the first game scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. against Alfred.