Front Royal, VA - Howard Community College's women's basketball team fell to 1-2 on Saturday, losing to Christendom College 63-45. Despite hanging tough all afternoon, the Dragons were undone by the Crusaders' 19-7 run in the fourth quarter.

Howard debuted a new lineup for their first game in two weeks, giving Dye Boiro Balde (Girona, Spain/IES Vallvera) and Nicole Forbes (Reston, VA/South Lakes) their first career starts. The new-look offense kept up with undefeated Christendom, trailing 21-17 after the first quarter. Forbes was highly effective, knocking down a pair of huge three-pointers.

Trouble broke out in the second quarter, as Howard's offense went quiet. The Dragons were held to just eight points as poor shooting hampered them. Howard flipped the script in the third quarter, holding the Crusaders to nine points. Aiding the second-half turnaround was the return of sophomore Jaylah Putman (Jacksonville, FL/Long Reach). Putman missed the first two games with an injury, and her return helped spark the Dragons offense. A Putman three-pointer made it 44-38 entering the final period, a deficit the Dragons could easily manage. But Christendom's offense finally got out of the mud and erupted, outscoring the Dragons 19-7 down the stretch. The momentum never returned to the Dragons over the final ten minutes, as they lost to the Crusaders for the first time in program history.

Nicole Forbes (Reston, VA/South Lakes) finished as the leading scorer with 15 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Jaylah Putman's (Jacksonville, FL/Long Reach) first game back saw her score nine points and five rebounds. Mariah Ruth (Lancaster, PA/McCaskey) added seven points, five rebounds, and two assists. Dye Boiro Balde (Girona, Spain/IES Vallvera) broke out, dropping six points, thirteen rebounds, and a block. Hannah Chambers (Columbia, MD/Hammond) added eight rebounds.

The Dragons next face a challenge as they take on nationally ranked Bryant & Stratton College on Sunday at 2:00 pm.