Dundalk, Md. -- The Fighting Owls ended their seven-game losing streak last night with a 70-52 win over the Riverhawks in a road match played at CCBC Dundalk.
Harford's last win came on November 9, an 82-68 final against Allegany College of Maryland.
"It's great to get back in the win column," said head coach Solomon Zurier.
The Fighting Owls (4-7) used a superior bench performance, combined with a huge advantage on the boards and exceptional second half shooting performance to take down a conference and regional foe.
Led by
Emanuel Ortiz (Delmar, Del.), the Harford bench outscored Anne Arundel 26-12. Ortiz had a team and career-high 14 points (5-9 shooting overall) and game-high 13 rebounds to finish with his first collegiate double-double, all of the bench.
Harford crashed the boards all night, finishing with a season-high 68 rebounds - more than double Anne Arundel (30) - 43 of which came on the defensive end.
The Fighting Owls took a 29-20 lead into halftime, as both teams experienced shooting woes.
Harford hit just 11-of-40 shots (27.5%) in the first half and Anne Arundel knocked down just 6-of-26 (23%).
A rejuvenated Fighting Owls squad hit the court after the break.
Harford went on an 18-7 run to began the second half and were up by 25 with 9:50 remaining.
Jeremiah Barnes (Clinton, Md.) scored eight of his 13 points and
Elisha Brown (Bowie, Md.) eight of his 10 points in the second half.
Dorian Credle (Springfield, Va.) also netted seven of his 10 points during the second.
Barnes and Brown also finished with eight rebounds each.
Overall, the Fighting Owls shot 16-31 (51.6%) after halftime, nearly double their first half output.
"We still have a lot of growing to do as a team," Zurier said. "But [the coaches and I] are happy with the way we battled tonight."
The 18-point slump-busting victory is just what Harford needed, despite committing a season-high 23 turnovers.
They'll look to make it two straight this Saturday as they return home to face McDaniel College (JV). Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
