Kyle Edwards scored 11 of his team-leading 19 points in the first half but it was nine free throws for the St. Lawrence University Men's Basketball team in the closing minutes that sealed a 69-61 victory over Bard Saturday afternoon in a Liberty League game at Burkman Gymnasium in Canton.

The Saints (6-4 overall, 2-0 Liberty League) held a slim 28-25 lead at halftime in a defensive battle with Bard (6-7, 1-3).

The second half remained very close and the team traded the lead back and forth until Edwards hit a driving layup with 7:30 left in the second half to give the Saints a four-point lead at 48-44.

Three minutes later, Bard held its final lead of the game with a 50-49 advantage before Dom DeRegis nailed a 3-pointer from the right side that sparked a 13-2 run for the Saints and a 62-52 lead with 1:20 remaining. The run featured a 3-pointer by Riley Naclerio, two free throws and another 3-pointer by Willie Zachery before Ben Crawford capped the run with a pair of free throws.

Bard was able to get to within five points with 18 seconds left but ran out of time as Zachery and Naclerio hit free throws in the final seconds to preserve the lead.

Edwards led four players into double-digits with his 19 points. Naclerio finished with 14 and a team-high seven rebounds while Zachery had 11 points and Crawford 10 for the Saints. DeRegis finished with eight points – all in the second half and led the team with four assists.

The Saints will play Clarkson Tuesday night in Potsdam in a Liberty League matchup starting at 8 pm.