Columbia, MD - The new year got off to a rough start for Howard Community College's men's JV basketball team, as the Dragons fell 63-46 to McDaniel College's JV team.

The Dragons quest for their first program win will have to wait, as the Dragons fell behind early and struggled to recover. Despite out-playing the Green Terror down the stretch, even pulling within eight points, Howard was unable to overcome the deficit. The loss dropped the Dragons to 0-6 on the season.

Howard led in the opening minutes off a pair of tough layups by Kanye McMahon (Lexington Park, MD/Chopticon) and Nehemiah Smith (Bronx, NY/Laurel), but the Dragons would go quiet the rest of the first half. McDaniel opened up a 25-9 lead by the halfway point and stretch the advantage to 19 points near the end of the half. The Dragons were kept alive courtesy of Smith's presence in the middle. The freshman blocked four shots down the stretch and hit two big layups to cut into McDaniel's lead. The Green Terror led 34-16 at the half, though not completely in control.

The Dragons began the second half on a hot streak, cutting further into McDaniel's lead. Smith continued to dominate the paint, drawing a key foul to set up free throws. A Stewart Long (Annapolis, MD/Springdale Prep) layup made it an eleven-point game, and Smith's layup seconds later dropped the deficit to single digits. Howard kept pushing closer, with a Smith tip-in dropping McDaniel's lead to just eight points. A comeback seemed likely, but the Green Terror finally woke up. McDaniel went on an explosive run midway through the half, bringing ther advantage back to 19 points. Howard was unable to stop a barrage of three pointers, and several key fouls doomed their chances of a meaningful comeback. The Dragons did get a late run going, dropping the deficit down to eleven, but McDaniel's shooters never cooled down. The Dragons would fall 63-46, their sixth straight loss of the season.

Smith dropped his fourth double-double of the season with 17 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals. Kanye McMahon (Lexington Park, MD/Chopticon) was second in scoring with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Darius Dorsey (Laurel, MD/Home School) added ten points and seven rebounds, while Bliden Elung (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) added ten rebounds.

The Dragons next face Virginia Union in a rematch of their Hoop Here Get There Classic clash from December on Sunday, January 12 at 6:00 PM.