North East, MD - The Howard Community College Dragons wrapped up their first road trip of the season with a 57-41 victory over the #21 ranked County College of Morris Titans.

The victory avenged an 89-77 loss to the Titans in last year's NJCAA Division II national tournament, and HCC finished the Cecil Mixer with a perfect 2-0 record. The win also marked the first ranked victory of the year for the Dragons.

The Dragons capitalized on poor Titan shooting and 29 personal fouls to clinch their fourth win this season. Despite shooting 36% from the floor, the Dragons nailed 72% of their 44 free throw attempts and held Morris to just 1-17 from three-point range. Sophomore Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) recorded his second straight double-double in the Dragon's most impressive defensive performance this season.

Sunday's game was a low-scoring defensive affair in the first half. With Morris running into early foul trouble, the Dragons frequently traveled to the free-throw line. Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) and Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton) led the Dragons in the opening minutes, building a 13-5 lead. For the next seven minutes, scoring became as rare as water in the desert. Both squads combined for five total points as defense dominated the first half.

Morris closed the gap to five points with seven minutes to go, but that was as close as they would get all game. Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach), whose excellent play sparked a rally in the home opener against BCCC, got the offense moving with a tough layup. Dean's bouncing three-pointer moments later opened the Dragon advantage to double-digits. With the defense clamping down, Howard held a 27-17 lead at the half.

Foul trouble doomed the Titans in the second half. Howard simply would not miss on their many trips to the free-throw line, and tough play in the paint by Djami and Henriques drew continuous Morris fouls. As a result, the Dragons scored nearly 80% of their second-half points from free throws. The defense continued to play great, holding the Titans to just 29.4% shooting and holding the lead at around 20 points for the entire second half. Howard ran out the clock to end the half with a convincing 57-41 win.

Henriques was the leading scorer for the Dragons with 16 points and seven rebounds. Djami recorded his second straight double-double, notching 12 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks, and four steals. Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) added seven points, three rebounds, and four assists, while Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) had seven points, four rebounds, and five steals. Sincere Barfield (Baltimore, MD/Patterson) added six points off the bench, while Arthur Roaché had eight rebounds.

Howard's win moves the Dragons to 4-1 on the season. The Dragons return home this week to face Harrisburg Area Community College on Thursday, November 21 at 7:00 PM.