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Bard College Athletics

Senior Day with family and team
Pearllan Cipriano, Sports Information Director
93
RIT RIT 7-18,3-15 Liberty League
104
Winner Bard BRD 13-12,8-10 Liberty League
RIT RIT
7-18,3-15 Liberty League
93
Final
104
Bard BRD
13-12,8-10 Liberty League
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
RIT RIT 47 46 93
Bard BRD 47 57 104

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Noah Poll, assistant sports information director

RECAP: Men’s Basketball Celebrates Senior Day with Record-Breaking Conference Win Over RIT

Almodovar, Rauf, Panagiotounis, Heinze, Wilcox honored before the game, all score in double figures

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Gallery: (2-22-2025) Men's Basketball vs. RIT (Senior Day)

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Bard College men's basketball team finished off their 2024-25 season on Saturday afternoon as they celebrated their five seniors who have established a culture of winning since arriving in the Hudson Valley. They defeated RIT 104-93, scoring 104 for the first time since 2018. It is the first time in program history that the Raptors have scored 104 or more points against a Liberty League opponent.

Lazaros Panagiotounis led Bard with 26 points, adding nine rebounds and three assists while shooting 13-of-16 from the line, a career-high in both makes and attempts from the stripe. His 13 free throws made in a game is third all-time in program history. Azriel Almodovar punctuated his career with his highest scoring game, with 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting, contributing five rebounds, a game-high seven assists, and two steals. Rowan Heinze scored 14 points, going 7-of-12 from the field and grabbing five rebounds.

Ahmad Rauf added 13 points, knocking down three three-pointers and recording two steals. Sean Wilcox posted a double-double with 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Max Frei chipped in eight points, while Lucas Tovar had six points and four assists.

There were eight lead changes in the first half, as both teams shot over 50% from the field. Bard shot 18-of-33 (54.5%) while RIT shot 18-of-35 (51.4%). The Tigers had the edge in three-pointers made, eight to four, but the Raptors made up for it with 26 paint points and 7-of-8 shooting from the line. At the 16:25 mark, RIT got hot, shooting 6-of-10 from the field including 3-of-6 from three during a 15-8 run. Bard made seven of their next nine shots, going on a 21-11 run during which all five seniors scored. Over the remaining four minutes of the first half, the Tigers closed the gap and the game was tied at 47-47 heading into halftime.

RIT stormed out of halftime on a 7-0 run 1:33 into the second half. Bard called timeout and responded, scoring eight straight of their own. Back-and-forth action continued, leading to ten more lead changes in the second half. With 7:01 left on the clock, RIT held an 87-83 lead. However, Bard's defense tightened, and the offense stayed relentless, fueling a 15-0 run over the next 4 minutes and 45 seconds. As the game drew to a close, each senior exited the floor to a warm round of applause from the crowd. 

The Raptors finished with a record of 13-12 and 8-10 in the Liberty League. The team made history in its sweep over Hobart. Panagiotounis ended his career with 985 career points, 480 of which came from downtown. His 160-made threes are third all-time in the Bard record books. Almodovar ranks second in steals (216), fourth in assists (278), and fifth in rebounds (602) in program history. He scored 778 points throughout his four years as a Raptor. Sean Wilcox has 596 career points and was a historic player as a rim protector. His 109 blocks ranked second in program history, and his season total of 51 is third. Rowan Heinze had 756 points in his career and was second in scoring for the Raptors the past two seasons. He led the starters in field goal percentage this year at 52.8%. Heinze had the game-winning layup against Hobart as time expired on January 17th. Ahmad Rauf started all 25 games this season after coming off the bench as an underclassman. He delivered, filling a 3-and-D role, as 38 of his 52 field goals were three-pointers.
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Players Mentioned

Azriel Almodovar

#4 Azriel Almodovar

G
6' 0"
Graduate Student
Rowan Heinze

#21 Rowan Heinze

F
6' 5"
Graduate Student
Lazaros Panagiotounis

#15 Lazaros Panagiotounis

G
6' 0"
Graduate Student
Ahmad Rauf

#1 Ahmad Rauf

G
6' 5"
Senior
Sean Wilcox

#31 Sean Wilcox

F
6' 4"
Senior
Lucas Tovar

#12 Lucas Tovar

G
6' 3"
First Year
Max Frei

#23 Max Frei

G
6' 0"
First Year

Players Mentioned

Azriel Almodovar

#4 Azriel Almodovar

6' 0"
Graduate Student
G
Rowan Heinze

#21 Rowan Heinze

6' 5"
Graduate Student
F
Lazaros Panagiotounis

#15 Lazaros Panagiotounis

6' 0"
Graduate Student
G
Ahmad Rauf

#1 Ahmad Rauf

6' 5"
Senior
G
Sean Wilcox

#31 Sean Wilcox

6' 4"
Senior
F
Lucas Tovar

#12 Lucas Tovar

6' 3"
First Year
G
Max Frei

#23 Max Frei

6' 0"
First Year
G