FRANKLIN, Mass. - During Saturday's victory over Rhode Island College at the Bulldog Tip-Off Tournament, Bard showed flashes of brilliance that were eye-popping.
On Sunday in the tourney title game against host Dean College, there were no flashes. Instead, there were long stretches of stellar play on both ends of the court, and Bard cruised to claim the championship, 82-64.
Bard sophomore Alijah Rue was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player.
The first half was close, though Bard led for most of it. Dean trailed by as much as eight, but the deficit was six at halftime, 41-35. Still, there were ominous signs for the hosts. Bard shot 58 percent from the field in the first half and had an 18-10 rebounding advantage.
Just as in Saturday's win over RIC, Bard came out blazing to start the second half. The Raptors made three-pointers on their first four possessions, while holding Dean without a point, and the lead ballooned from six to 18 in less than three minutes. The Bulldogs (1-2) trailed by as much as 26 in the second half, and never got closer than 12.
"The biggest thing this weekend was that our defensive effort and focus went to a completely different level," Bard coach Adam Turner said. "With the way we run and the type of players we have in transition, our defense will lead to a lot of offense, and that's what happened today."
Bard won the rebounding battle, 42-32, and made 10-of-19 three-pointers. The Raptors dished out 21 assists and put four players into double figures. Rue finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Justyn Rogers had 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Armando Dunn was a force in the paint, producing 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go with five rebounds, and David Runcie added 12 points and five rebounds.
Freshman Stamatis Koulouris just missed giving Bard a fifth player in double figures with nine points and five rebounds. He hit one of those four three-pointers that put the game away to start the second half.
"We got playmaking and scoring from a lot of different positions this weekend," Turner added. "That allowed what Alijah did to be just a piece of what we were doing, and not everything. Our defense was great in both games. Armando, Alijah and Justyn really set the tone defensively with their talk and intensity, and everybody followed."
The celebration will be short-lived. Up next, Bard hosts Hamilton College, the ninth-ranked team in the d3hoops.com preseason poll. Follow that game live right here on Tuesday at 6.
Bard wins Bulldog Tournament title at Dean
Nov 18, 2018