The Bard College men's basketball team showed grit and fight in a tightly contested matchup against Sarah Lawrence on Sunday afternoon, but the Raptors' second-half rallies came up just short in a 65–56 loss to the Gryphons.

After falling behind by 13 at halftime, Bard stormed back with a pair of big second-half runs to close the gap to single digits. Angelos Bratakos fueled the comeback effort with a career-high 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 3-for-6 from three-point range. Meanwhile, Max Frei delivered a 14-point, seven boards and going 7-of-10 from the line. 

The Raptors trailed 37–24 at the break but responded immediately out of the locker room with a 5-2 run. The Raptors got within six midway through the game, 48-42, that included back-to-back triples and a few jumpers. 

With just over four minutes remaining, Bard pulled within 59–55 on another deep three from Bratakos, but the Gryphons answered with a timely jumper and late free throws to hold off the comeback.

Bard outrebounded the Gryphons 40–34, including a 12–6 edge on the offensive glass, but 18 turnovers proved costly in the final margin.

The Raptors will host USMMA on Friday at 7 p.m. for their home opener and campus/fan appreciation night.