GENEVA, N.Y.—Bard College slipped past Hobart College in a tightly contested Liberty League basketball battle in Geneva this afternoon, taking home a 61-57 victory. The Raptors improve to 8-7 overall, 3-3 in conference play, while the Statesmen fall to 8-6 overall, and 3-2 in Liberty League play.

After taking a 3-0 lead following a 3-pointer from junior guard Michael LaValle on the opening possession of the game for Hobart, the Raptors went on a 9-0 run to take a 6-point lead. Bard would push their lead to double-digits following a made jumper by first-year Emmanuel Rainey, with 7:53 to play in the first half.

Starting point guard Trey Blanding and sixth-man Pete Drescher, who averaged 33 and 21 minutes per game entering the contest, were limited to 7 and 2 minutes, respectively, due to injuries in the first half, taxing Hobart's depth. Senior guard Connor Rehbaum was also forced to play limited minutes in the first half, after picking up his second foul with 14:24 remaining. The Statesmen were able to remain in contact though, going into halftime down just 32-27.

Hobart came out flat in the second half, taking nearly five minutes to register a point. That point came from Rehbaum when he went 1-of-2 from the free throw line with 15:13 to play.

The Raptors pushed their lead to 13 with a with a layup from first-year Emmanuel Rainey with 14:41 to play, and held a double digit advantage until senior guard Trey Blanding cut the deficit to 57-50 on a traditional 3-point play with 3:30 to go.

The Statesmen used an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 57-55 with 1:27 remaining, capped off by a steal and 3-point bomb by senior guard Andrew Hoy. The Statesmen had a chance to tie the game with :52 remaining, but a pair of missed free throws helped ensure the Raptors victory.

Bard was led by first-year guard DeVahnte Mosley's double-double, posting a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. Junior center Brandon Cunningham also posted a double-double, tallying 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Despite sitting out much of the first half with two fouls, the Statesmen were led by Rehbaum with 12 points. Hoy also added 12 points, including three 3-pointers.

The Raptors controlled the boards 45-34, including 17 offensive rebounds. Hobart's Domonique Petty-Fernander grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to go with six points. The Statesmen were outshot from the floor, connecting on 31 percent of their tries compared to the 39 percent shooting by their adversary.

The Statesmen are back in action on January 23, traveling to Rensselaer for the start of a four-game road trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.