Columbia, MD—The first slate of out-of-conference games for Howard Community College's men's basketball team wrapped up Thursday night, as the Dragons defeated the Harrisburg Area Community College Hawks 89-70.

In an unexpected shootout, the Dragons survived a scare from the Hawks. Howard's near-perfect free throw shooting, plus a big night from sophomore Arthur Roaché, led the Dragons to their fifth victory of the season.

Harrisburg entered Thursday night's contest 0-6 on the season, but the Hawks had played well in their prior games. Harrisburg's size disadvantage to the Dragons was made up for by their speed and ball handling, which took Howard by surprise in the opening minutes. Consecutive steals by the Hawks led to quick buckets and a 12-7 lead.

Needing to spark the offense, head coach Mike Smelkinson pulled all five starters in favor of the bench. A tough basket by Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) and a deep three by Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) tied the game at 14-14. Both teams took turns chipping away at each other, with Howard holding a slim 22-21 lead at the halfway point of the first half. The Dragons began slowly pulling away, sparked by back-to-back shots by Sincere Barfield (Baltimore, MD/Patterson) and Roaché's dominance in the paint. The Dragons opted for a smaller lineup on the court to match up well with the Hawks, and by the half they had opened up a 45-34 lead.

Foul trouble struck the Hawks at the start of the second half. Harrisburg had kept it mostly clean in the first, but back-to-back-to-back fouls sent the Dragons to the line. Howard's free throw shooting was near-perfection: The Dragons made 70% of their free throws in the second half alone. Howard's lead ballooned to 19, but the Hawks could answer. On consecutive plays, an Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) dunk was responded to by a Harrisburg three-pointer. Behind a 9-2 run, the Hawks closed the gap to ten points with four minutes left.

The late-game hero for the Dragons would be Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton). After Christian Dean's (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) two scores extended the Dragons lead, McDuffie hit a clutch three-pointer and a game-sealing dunk. His last-minute layup while being fouled ended the night on a high for the Dragons, who survived a scrappy Hawks team to win 89-70.

Howard's 89 points marked a new season high in points. Roaché was awarded the game ball, finishing the night with 19 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block. McDuffie set a new career-high with 17 points, while Barfield added 14 points, four rebounds, and eight assists. Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) had his best night as a Dragon, scoring a career-high 14 points. Henriques added ten points and six rebounds, while Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) added six points. Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) added eight rebounds.

Next up for the Dragons is the conference opener at CCBC Dundalk on Monday, November 25 at 6:00 PM.