New Rochelle, NY - Howard Community College's JV men's basketball team wrapped up their inaugural season on Sunday with a 70-62 loss to Monroe University.

The Dragons fought hard but were unable to overcome an early double-digit deficit. Nehemiah Smith (Bronx, NY/Laurel) set the single-game program record for rebounds with 20 as he and Jasper Hanna (Washington, DC/E.L. Haynes) recorded double-doubles.

Howard quickly found themselves in a double-digit hole as they trailed 14-4 minutes into the contest. Smith and Stewart long hit a pair of clutch shots each to ease back into the contest, and Bliden Elung's (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) layup with eight minutes left made it a seven-point game. An explosion of Monroe points to close out the half made it a 14-point game, with the Dragons trailing 43-29.

Howard's defense clamped down in the second, holding the Mustangs to just two points in the opening seven minutes. Elung's jumper with thirteen minutes to go brought the deficit down to single digits, and Smith's domination of the paint kept the Dragons within striking distance deep into the half. Another Monroe run gave the Mustangs some breathing room, but back-to-back Stewart Long (Annapolis, MD/Springdale Prep) three pointers cut deep into the lead. The final minutes were a wild back-and-forth battle with Howard's bench proving vital to the fight. However, the Mustangs managed to keep the lead at just around ten points and held on to win.

Jasper Hanna (Washington, DC/E.L. Haynes) finished as the leading scorer with 21 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists. Nehemiah Smith (Bronx, NY/Laurel) set a new program record with 20 rebounds, along with 13 points and three blocks. Stewart Long (Annapolis, MD/Springdale Prep) set a new career-high with eleven points, while Bliden Elung (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) recorded four points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Sunday's game marked the end of the first season of Howard's JV basketball team, with a final record of 1-11. It was also the final game for sophomores Kyle Simmons (Columbia, MD/Atholton) and Truce Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills). Jasper Hanna (Washington, DC/E.L. Haynes) finished the season as the leading scorer with 15.1 points per game. Hanna also led the Dragons with 4.0 assists per game. Nehemiah Smith (Bronx, NY/Laurel) wrapped up his debut season leading the Dragons with 12.3 rebounds per game and an astounding 3.7 blocks per game. Bliden Elung (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) finished the year as Howard's trickiest defender with 1.5 steals per game, while Kanye McMahon (Lexington Park, MD/Chopticon) finished with the highest field goal percentage at .494. Kyle Simmons (Columbia, MD/Atholton) led the team with a three point percentage of .400, while Nathan Hiteshew (Columbia, MD/Wilde Lake) and Truce Norton (Columbia, MD/Oakland Mills) were tied for the highest free throw percentage at .667.