ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. — The Bard College women's basketball team gave the Clarkson Golden Knights all they could handle, falling 45-54 Saturday afternoon at Stevenson Athletic Center. 

Shirley Dong dazzled with a season-high 17 points, going 5-of-11 from the field, 2-of-6 from three, and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. She also had four rebounds and two steals. Lexi Miller compiled four points, eight rebounds, and four steals, tying a career-high. 

Erin Tobes was everywhere off the bench, leading the Raptors during their second-half run. She had a near double-double with eight points, ten rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Jessica Martin also contributed two triples off the bench. 

Aislynn Dixon was the Raptors' leading assist-getter, with three, and she added three rebounds, two steals and a point. Tianna Gonzalez scored six points, grabbed two rebounds, and collected a steal. Ava Gregory tallied three points, six rebounds, and two assists in 28 minutes. Morgan Kottka did not get into the scoring column, but got two rebounds, an assist, a steal, and she stretched the floor as a threat to shoot. 

In the opening stages of the game, Clarkson prevented Bard from making a shot from the field. This led to a 7-1 start before Tobes snapped the drought with back-to-back layups at the 3:46 and 2:25 marks. However, the Raptors were limited offensively the rest of the quarter and fell behind 11-5 heading into the second quarter.

The Golden Knights gained an 11-point lead a minute into the second quarter, and it took a three from Dong at the 6:51 mark to bring it back to single digits. Five straight from Clarkson made it 21-8 with 5:36 to play. The lead was 13 at 25-12, but a Bard surge in the last minute of the half made the halftime deficit just eight, 25-17. 

The third quarter started like the first quarter, with Clarkson's Bella Doyle hitting a three to send the lead to 11. Bard went on a 9-0 run that brought the Raptors within two, bookended by jumpers from Dong. The rest of the frame was nip-and-tuck, with neither team gaining a lead over three possessions. 

It would remain tight in the fourth, with the Raptors clawing back to a one-point deficit at 38-37 with 5:07 to play. With just over three minutes to play, the shots started to fall for both teams, as three straight possessions ended in triples. With 1:39 left, Dong converted a huge and-one opportunity that made it 46-45. However, Clarkson's Fallon Griffin would stretch the lead to four on a massive shot from downtown to put the Golden Knights in pole position. Clarkson finished out the game on an 8-0 run due to clutch free throw shooting.

Bard will be back in action on Tuesday as they travel to Mount Holyoke for a non-league contest at noon.