Bel Air, MD - The Howard Community College Dragons kicked off a stacked weekend of basketball with a tough match up in the Harford Classic, falling 73-58 to the Harford Community College Fighting Owls.

The Dragons struggled to contain Harford's shooters, allowing two 20-point scorers on the night. Despite double-digit scoring nights from Hannah Chambers (Columbia, MD/Hammond) and Emmanuella Oga (Randallstown, MD/Randallstown), Howard's top scorers were held in check in a tough loss that drops the Dragons to 8-6 on the season.

The Dragons and Fighting Owls started the contest evenly matched, with Chambers and London Galbraith (Washington, D.C./Friendship Collegiate Academy) finding early success in the paint. After the first, Howard trailed by just three and looked as if they could turn the tide in the second. Howard was able to outscore the Fighting Owls in the second period, led by a big three from Oga and excellent shooting and rebounding off the bench from Naomi Williams (Odenton, MD/Meade) and Jasmine Dailey (Odenton, MD/Meade). At the half, Howard and Harford were tied at 34-34.

The third proved to be the turning point of the contest, with Howard held to just ten points. Chambers was the only Dragon who could score consistently, and Harford's top shooters were not missing. Ayca Kazak and Amya Goodsell combined for 17 third quarter points to bury the Dragons. Harford's defense clamped down on the Dragons into the fourth, with the only reliable scoring coming from trips to the free throw line. While Howard's defense was able to slow the tide just a bit, it wasn't enough to stop Harford from running away with the win.

Chambers finished as the leading scorer for the Dragons with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Oga notched ten points, three rebounds, and two steals in a solid night, while Galbraith had eight points, four rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Savannah Price (Woodbridge, VA/Freedom) was held in check for most of the night, but still managed eight points on two three pointers. Jolie Hamilton (Baltimore, MD/Forest Park) had a solid night in the trenches with six points, six rebounds, a block, and a steal, while McKenzi Walters (Falls Church, VA/George C. Marshall) finishedwith four rebounds and two assists. Jasmine Dailey (Odenton, MD/Meade) led the team with seven rebounds.

Howard looks to get back on track on Saturday as they face Wake Tech in the first round of the Montgomery Holiday Tournament at 1:00 PM.