Columbia, MD – Howard struggled offensively to find a rhythm early on, but another strong defensive effort allowed the Dragons to hold off the College of Southern Maryland Hawks 59-58 on sophomore night.
The Dragons shot 1-14 from three point range in the first half, greatly limiting one of their best options for offensive productivity. The forwards stepped up to fill the void as 20 of their 30 first half points came in the paint with
Quatazia Johnson (Hyattsville, MD/Northwestern) and
India Young (Springdale, MD/Charles H. Flowers) combining for most of that.
Southern Maryland started to hit some big shots in the third quarter and clawed their way back into the game despite having one of their five dressed players fouling out late in the period, forcing them to play the last 11 minutes of the game with four players on the court.
The Dragons were able to build up a six point lead which was just enough for Howard to hold on for a one point victory. With the win, Howard CC has clinched no worse than the #2 seed in the upcoming Region 20 tournament and have earned the right to host the quarterfinal matchup against an opponent to be decided.
Kori People (Washington, D.C./Central) scored 15 points with 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals while
Kalani Corkeron (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) was close behind with 13 points and nine rebounds. Young out in a solid effort with 12 points and 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
Howard honored their four graduating sophomores before the start of the game which included People, Johnson,
Tajah Goodman (Washington, D.C./South Hagerstown), and
Lillyann Eldridge (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills).
The Dragons will close out their regular season schedule against the vaunted CCBC Essex Knights on Saturday, February 27 at 2 PM. The Knights come into the game as the #3 ranked team in the NJCAA (D2) and are 29-0 while sporting the longest winning streak in league history at 48 games in a row. With a win, the winner of this regular season finale will clinch the #1 seed in the regional tournament.
