Rockville, MD - The Howard Community College Dragon's women's basketball team opened up the MC Holiday Tournament with a 54-43 win against Wake Technical Community College.

The Dragons got a career performance from sophomore guard Zakiyyah Brown (Upper Marlboro, MD/Friendship Collegiate Academy) and a season-high nine three pointers as they wrapped up their second straight victory. The win moves the Dragons to 3-6 on the season.

Howard's defense came out swinging, holding the Eagles to just five points in the first quarter. The Dragons shut down Wake's best shooters, while relying heavily on their outside shooting to build their lead. The Eagles snuck back into the picture at the start of the second, pulling within five points. A pair of big Zakiyyah Brown (Upper Marlboro, MD/Friendship Collegiate Academy) threes brought momentum back to the Dragons, leading to an 11-point halftime lead. The exclamation point on the half was Tamir Whittle's (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) buzzer-beating three, giving Howard a 34-23 halftime advantage.

The defense continued to dominate the second half, as Howard outscored the Eagles 15-9. Coming off the bench, Mariah Ruth (Lancaster, PA/McCaskey) averaged a point a minute as she dropped two threes. A 17-point lead at the end of the third gave Howard hopes of a second-straight win, but the Dragons would have to hang on for dear life in the fourth quarter. A dormant Wake Tech defense awoke, holding the Dragons to just five points. The Eagles pulled within single digits with three minutes to go, but a clutch Hannah Chambers (Columbia, MD/Hammond) jumper iced the game for the Dragons. Howard would hold on to win 54-43, their third victory of the season.

Zakiyyah Brown (Upper Marlboro, MD/Friendship Collegiate Academy) led the Dragons with 14 points, a career high. Jaylah Putman (Jacksonville, FL/Long Reach) knocked down three three-pointers, scoring 13 points and eight rebounds. Hannah Chambers (Columbia, MD/Hammond) dominated the paint, scoring eight points, nine rebounds, and two steals. Tamir Whittle (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) added seven points and four assists, whole Mariah Ruth (Lancaster, PA/McCaskey) added six points, four rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal off the bench. McKenzi Walters (Falls Church, VA/George C. Marshall) had another big rebounding day, recording five boards, while Asaani Offer (Annapolis, MD/Catonsville) added four points, three rebounds, and three steals. Avery Richardson (Beltsville, MD/High Point) would start Saturday's game, her first start of the season.

The Dragons wrap up the Holiday Tournament on Sunday against Middlesex College at 11:00 AM.