Men's Basketball Earns First Win of New Year Over Bard

BROOKLYN, NY - The Pratt Institute's men's basketball team (5-6) earned its first win of 2020, defeating Bard College 71-61 on Tuesday evening.

Griffin Levine (Dallas, TX) finished with 20 points, six assists and two steals. Patrick O'Gorman (Glen Ridge, NJ) also had 20 points on 7-12 from the floor including 4-6 from beyond the arc.

Pratt fell behind 14-5 early on in the first half but used a 16-8 run over the next six minutes to get the deficit to one. Trailing 31-26 with 3:22 remaining in the half, the Cannoneers used a 10-0 run over the next 1:40 to gain a 36-31 advantage and its first lead since the 18:47 mark. 

Pratt led 38-35 heading into the second half, however, Bard scored the first four points to regain a 39-38 lead. With bard leading 45-43, Pratt ran off a 9-0 run to take a 52-45 lead, its largest of the contest.

Bard would not go away as it got within two with 6:26 remaining in regulation, however, Pratt used an 8-0 run highlighted by five points by O'Gorman to take its first double-digit lead of the game. Bard would not get closer than five over the remaining four minutes before Pratt took the game, 71-61. 

The Cannoneers finished the game shooting 9-22 (40.9%) from three and forced 20 turnovers. 

This marks the first win over Bard in almost 20 years and the first win of the season over a NCAA DIII opponent. 

Pratt returns to action on Friday when it travels to St. Joseph's University for a 7 pm tip.