New Rochelle, NY – Playing against the #12 ranked team in the NJCAA Division I, the Dragons gave the highly ranked Monroe College Mustangs a scare in their own tournament before ultimately falling 77-67.
 
While the Dragons never led in the game, the nationally ranked Division II Howard squad kept tight with Monroe throughout the contest. Koby Baptiste (New Carrollton, MD/Parkdale) had a monster first half with 11 points and nine rebounds including four on the offensive side while Trea Keys (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) hit a couple of big threes late in the half as Howard trailed the Mustangs by just three at halftime.
 
Andrew Mills (Owings Mills, MD/Newtown) hit a long range shot out of the gates in the second half as Howard cut the Monroe lead to 34-32, but a Mustangs run extended it to a 14 point lead. Howard started to crawl back into the game as Cameron Watts (Columbia, MD/Boys Latin) knocked down a three pointer and Mills started to assert his will in the paint. O'Meech Wilson (Glen Burnie, MD/North County) scored the next nine points in a row for Howard as the full court press forced turnovers, but the deficit proved too much for the Dragons to overcome.
 
Mills led the team with 16 points and 12 rebounds while Baptiste added a double-double of his own with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Ethan Wilson (Manassas, VA/Osbourn Park) added nine points and Marquis Freeman (Manassas, VA/Fork Union Prep) chipped in eight.
 
The brutal stretch of tough games for the Dragons continues as they travel to Philadelphia to take on Harcum College on Saturday, January 14 at 2 PM.