Rochester, NY - The Howard Community College men's basketball team matched up against Jamestown Community College on Saturday afternoon with plenty of energy, but the Dragons couldn't overcome a slow start, falling to Jamestown Community College in a hard-fought contest.

From the opening tip, Jamestown set the tone with aggressive defense and sharp perimeter shooting. The Dragons struggled to find their rhythm early, and didn't shoot to the best of their ability. That in turn led to the Jayhawks jumping out to an early first half lead. At the half Jamestown had the lead 36-27.

Despite the rocky start, Howard showed flashes of promise. Sophomore guard Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) sparked the offense with 21 points through the game. Evin Thompson (Silver Spring, MD/Sherwood) scored his season high with 15 points, two threes, and helped the Dragons bring the game back into a manageable range. The Dragons struggled with free throw shooting throughout the match, which played a huge factor in the outcome.

Jamestown, however, responded with poise. Their balanced attack and disciplined ball movement kept Howard chasing on defense. The Dragons outscored the Jayhawks in the second half 51-47 but the deficit they fell to early was too hard to come back from. Jamestown's Jodan Wright had a double-double, and scored a game high 26 and 10 rebounds to add-on. The Jayhawks won the battle on the boards, out-rebounding Howard 38 to 20. 

Jamestown held firm, and despite a late surge, the Dragons couldn't complete the rally, ultimately falling short in their first loss of the season. The Dragons will look to rebound on Sunday with a showdown against national powerhouse Monroe Community College.