Rochester, NY - The Howard Community College Dragons men's basketball team faced a tough challenge on the road Sunday afternoon, falling to Monroe Community College 88-79 for their second consecutive loss.

After a frustrating first loss to Jamestown, the Dragons were eager to bounce back against a strong Monroe team that had received votes in the national rankings. However, much like their game versus the Jayhawks, Howard found themselves battling from behind for most of the game.  

The first half was heavily in the favor of the Tribunes, with Monroe's disciplined offense and tenacious defense giving the Dragons fits in the first half. Howard's offense, led by freshman forward Cedric Harville (Baltimore, MD/Ben Franklin), who had the team high 15 points, had trouble finding consistency. Shooting plagued the Dragons early, and they struggled to knock down shots, particularly from beyond the arc, where they shot just 0-of-5 and only 28% from the field in the first half.

Monroe, on the other hand, capitalized on Howard's mistakes. The Tribunes scored 17 points off turnovers and shot a whopping 50% from the field in the first half. The fast start and good shooting from Monroe propelled them to a 13 point lead at the half, 39-26.

The second half brought a glimpse of hope for the Dragons. After a slow start, the bench began to push the pace and cut into the lead. Sophomore guards Jasper Hanna (Washington, D.C./E.L. Haynes) and Kanye McMahon (Lexington Park, MD/Chopticon) helped provide a spark, scoring a season high 10 points each. The Dragons cut the lead to just eight points with a little less than six minutes left in the game., The momentum seemed to swing in their favor. Howard's defense stiffened, forcing Monroe into several contested shots and timely stops in transition.

However, the Dragons couldn't sustain their surge. Monroe responded with a series of well-executed possessions that stretched their lead back to double digits. Howard continued to battle, but every time they got close, Monroe had an answer, whether it was a tough contested shot, a big rebound, or a timely steal. At the buzzer the score read 88-79 in favor of Monroe.

The Dragons leave Rochester with a pair of tough losses and a potential drop in the national rankings. Howard has an opportunity to bounce back in this weekend's Cecil Mixer and keep their record above .500. They first must face nationally recognized Raritan Valley Community College on Saturday, November 15th at 3:00PM.