Annandale, VA - A career high 25 points from Mia McCormick (Philadelphia, PA/River Hill) was not enough for the Dragons as they stumbled at Northern Virginia in a 60-59 heartbreaking loss.

McCormick got out to a hot start with seven points in the first quarter as Howard took a commanding 18-8 after 10 minutes of play. Howard struggled as a team in the second quarter as the Nighthawks Mia Buchanon scored 15 points off the bench in the second quarter alone to give Northern Virginia a 27-26 lead at halftime.

The third quarter saw McCormick and Buchanon go back and forth with each scoring double digits with Ashlyn McInerney (Hyattsville, MD/Hammond) adding seven points as the two teams were tied 46-46 going into the fourth quarter.

In a tense final period, the Dragons led 57-56 when a huge layup by Sabreen Muslim (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City College) made it a three point Howard lead with 39 seconds left. After a Howard foul, the Nighthawks made one free throw and were able to steal the ball away and draw another foul. After making the first free throw, Northern Virginia grabbed the offensive rebound on the missed second shot and put in a layup to take the lead with 18 seconds left.

After a Howard timeout, Muslim missed the potential go ahead jumpshot but the ball stayed with the Dragons. Howard would turn the ball over, but Northern Virginia gave the ball right back with a turnover of their own with three seconds left. McCormick's shot at the buzzer was off the mark and the Nighthawks held onto a dramatic 60-59 victory.

Muslim finished with 14 points and 22 rebounds while McInerney added 10 points to the cause.

Howard will return home to face Anne Arundel on January 30 for a 5 PM game.