Rockville, MD - The Howard Community College Dragon's women's basketball team dropped their fifth-straight game on Saturday afternoon, falling 65-53 to the Montgomery College Raptors.
Despite the return of point guard
Tamir Whittle (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) from injury, the Dragons offense stumbled in the second quarter and never fully recovered. A late rally came up short as the Dragons fell to 1-5 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.
The Dragons had plenty of confidence entering Saturday's game. After being sidelined since early November with a concussion, sophomore point guard
Tamir Whittle (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) would return to action against the Raptors. Whittle made her debut halfway through the first quarter, logging an assist as the Dragons jumped out to a 14-12 lead. Howard had taken the lead off a
Kayden Jeselskis (Baltimore, MD/Rosedale Christian Academy) three-pointer, a
Mariah Ruth (Lancaster, PA/McCaskey) jumper off a missed Montgomery three, and a
Jaylah Putman (Jacksonville, FL/Long Reach) jumper just before the buzzer. Howard's offense, stuck in mud the previous two games, had gotten going again.
Jeselskis buried her second three of the day early in the second to extend Howard's lead. It would be the last time the Dragons led all game. Montgomery quickly tied things up, but there were no signs of trouble. A second Jeselskis shot made it 19-19 with under seven minutes to go in the quarter, and
Asaani Offer (Annapolis, MD/Catonsville) his a tough jumper to make it a two-point game. Montgomery, annoyed with Howard's tough defense, finally unleashed their outside shooters. Montgomery shot 55% from the floor, outscoring the Dragons 21-9 down the stretch. Howard's shooters went quiet, and after keeping things close throughout the half, the Dragons trailed by ten entering the break.
That last stretch of the second quarter put the Dragons in a hole they struggled to escape from. Despite excellent shooting from Putman in the third, the Dragons only once dropped the deficit down to single digits. Howard got within seven off a
Hannah Chambers (Columbia, MD/Hammond) layup, only for the Raptors to launch ahead once more. The Dragons kept fighting, and with three minutes left in the quarter,
Tamir Whittle (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) brought the bench to its feet with her first basket since her injury. The Dragons still trailed 50-36 with one quarter to go, but there was a chance.
That chance seemed to fizzle away early in the fourth as Montgomery extended their lead to 20. The Dragons refused to give up and began to chip away at the lead.
Hannah Chambers (Columbia, MD/Hammond) dominated the paint, preventing the Raptors from scooping up any offensive rebounds. This set up back-to-back three pointers from Jeselskis and Putman, lowering the deficit to 12. A Whittle jumper made it a ten-point game, and with two minutes to play, Whittle hit her biggest shot of the day to make it an eight point game. But the comeback would only get that far. Whittle missed two crucial free throws with minutes left, the Raptors got a much-needed shot off, and several Howard fouls allowed Montgomery to free-throw their way to victory.
Chambers finished as the leading scorer for the Dragons, scoring 13 points (a career high), eight rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal. Jeselskis also set a new career-high in points, scoring eleven with three three-pointers. Putman notched eight points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
Asaani Offer (Annapolis, MD/Catonsville) recorded six points and seven rebounds, while Whittle scored six points, two assists, and a steal in her return.
Mariah Ruth (Lancaster, PA/McCaskey) added six rebounds, a block, and four points off the bench.
The Dragons next travel to Fayetteville, NC to take on Fayetteville Tech on Tuesday, December 17 at 6:00 PM.
