Columbia, MD - The Howard Community College Dragons staved off a second-half comeback attempt to defeat the Harford Fighting Owls 68-51.

The Dragons dominated the first half, but sloppy play to open the second allowed Harford to creep back into the picture. Behind excellent shooting by Sincere Barfield (Baltimore, MD/Patterson) and Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach), the Dragons hung on to win convincingly, marking their twelfth-straight win.

Howard quickly built a double-digit lead in the first half, shutting down Harford's potent three-point shooting. Christian Dean (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach) was everywhere, scoring 16 points off 50% shooting. Barfield knocked down the Dragons only three-pointer of the half, while the front court did its job and dominated the boards. Howard led by 19 at the half, courtesy of a buzzer-beating layup by Barfield.

Howard's good luck ran out to start the second half, as Harford came roaring back. The Fighting Owls slowly cut into Howard's lead, and with four minutes left they had lowered the deficit to just seven points. The comeback would stall out there, as a contested layup by Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) fired up the Dragons. Emanuel Henriques (Baltimore, MD/Benjamin Franklin) brought the lead back to double-digits with a massive dunk, and a Dean steal led to back-to-back Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) baskets to put the contest away. Howard's 10-0 run over the last two minutes saved the game for the Dragons and extended Howard's conference-leading win streak to twelve games. 

Barfield was the leading scorer with 19 points. Dean was excellent with 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and seven steals. Henriques scored nine points, six rebounds, and three steals, while Jaden Johnson (Upper Marlboro, MD/Dr. Henry A. Wise) added eight points, four rebounds, and seven assists. Truth Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) added six points, and Anthony Djami (Paris, France/Brequigny) dominated on defense with 12 rebounds, seven blocks, and two steals.

The Dragons next game against Delaware Tech was cancelled due to inclement weather, setting up their next matchup against Anne Arundel Community College on Monday, February 10 at 7:00 PM.