Columbia, MD - Despite being outscored in the second half, the Howard Community College Dragons hung on to win their sixth game of the season last Saturday with a 65-50 victory over Frederick Community College.

The Dragons opened up a massive lead over the Cougars in the first half, taking a 43-23 lead into the half. But a second half slide saw the Dragons only score 22 points. A solid defensive stand helped Howard claim victory, their fourth straight over the Cougars!

Howard's first home game against FCC since 2020 began wonderfully for the Dragons. Jolie Hamilton (Baltimore, MD/Forest Park) opened the first quarter with near-perfect shooting from the floor, and excellent defensive work in the paint from McKenzi Walters (Falls Church, VA/George C. Marshall). Lodnon Galbraith was able to find easy scoring lanes, and dished the ball well to her teammates. A 22-10 first quarter lead exploded to nearly 20 points in the second as Savannah Price (Woodbridge, VA/Freedom) caught fire from three. Price hit all three of her shots, giving her nine points in the quarter and a massive lead for the Dragons.

The third quarter saw Frederick begin to flip the script. The Cougars defense dug in and forced the Dragons to shoot just 5-22 from the floor in the quarter as FCC outscored the Dragons 15-11. The saving grace for the Dragons was Hannah Chambers (Columbia, MD/Hammond) and Naomi Williams (Odenton, MD/Meade) gobbling up ten total rebounds to keep possession in the hands of the Dragons. While Frederick was able to out-shoot and out-score the Dragons, the initial HCC lead was too great to overcome. The closest the Cougars would get was within eleven midway through the fourth quarter, and with Galbraith scooping up five fourth quarter rebounds herself, the Dragons were able to hold on to a 15-point win.

Price finished as the leading scorer for the Dragons with 17 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Hamilton's solid start to the game saw her finish the afternoon with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Chambers added 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals. Galbraith added nine points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and four steals, coming close to a triple-double. Williams added seven points, nine rebounds, and two assists in an excellent day off the bench, while McKenzi Walters (Falls Church, VA/George C. Marshall) led the team with ten rebounds.

The Dragons next face off against Bryant & Stratton College on Sunday, November 30 at 2:00PM in a showdown with a ranked opponent!