Columbia, MD - The Howard Community College Dragons have been searching for a statement win this season, and on a rainy Tuesday night, they finally found it in a 66-56 win over rivals CCBC Dundalk!

Led by two double-digit scorers and a suffocating defense, the Dragons never trailed in Tuesday's contest. The fact that the Lions were receiving votes in the national Division II poll never crossed the Dragons' minds all night, and their win moves them to 6-4 on the season!

Howard jumped out to an early ten-point lead, led by slicing baskets from Juan Bell (Silver Spring, MD/James Hubert Blake) and Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton). Howard shook up its starting lineup once again, and new starter Lorcan Hyndman (Sydney, Australia/Bishop O'Connell) did not disappoint with solid rebounding work in the trenches. He and Cedric Harville (Baltimore, MD/Ben Franklin) combined for eight total rebounds in the first half as the Dragons put a choke hold on Dundalk's high-scoring offense. The Lions were forced to play it slow and try to find gaps in the Dragons zone, which proved difficult.

Frustrated by the lack of scoring, the Lions started to get restless, and the personal fouls started to rain down. Myles McDuffie (Baltimore, MD/Lake Clifton) went a perfect 8-8 at the line, and despite a late Dundalk run, the Dragons led by ten at the half.

The second half saw Dundalk's foul trouble continue to hurt them, and McDuffie's perfect night continued as he aced five more free throws. Evin Thompson (Silver Spring, MD/Sherwood) came alive in the second, knocking down eight points, and Harville and Hyndman continued to gobble up rebounds. The Lions finally started to get their offense working, but the ten points deficit they found themselves in to start the second was too much to overcome. Howard cruised to victory, with McDuffie hitting his final free throws to ice the contest.

McDuffie only made four of his 13 field goal attempts, but he hit all 13 free throws for 21 points, four rebounds, and a steal. Thompson hit double digits with 12 points, two rebounds, and three assists, while Cedric Harville (Baltimore, MD/Ben Franklin) narrowly missed a double-double with nine points, nine rebounds, two assists, and three blocks. Sincere Barfield (Philadelphia, PA/Patterson) came off the bench to add nine points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Juan Bell (Silver Spring, MD/James Hubert Blake) ran the offense well with eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Lorcan Hyndman (Sydney, Australia/Bishop O'Connell) had a standout defensive performance with five points, seven rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal.

The Dragons head into Thanksgiving break with a 6-4 record and a fourth-place ranking in Region 20 Division II. They next face Division I powerhouse Hagerstown on Tuesday, December 4 at 7:00 PM to close out their home games for 2025!