ATLANTA — Much like last season's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship game, Tuesday's contest between
Miles and
Clark Atlanta featured the two best teams in the league. While no title trophy was on the line at Epps Gymnasium, the Golden Bears were able to serve notice that they have a big opportunity to hoist the winner's trophy at the end of the conference tournament this March.
Using two big runs in the first half, Miles opened a double-digit lead before CAU made a big surge in the second half. But the Golden Bears were able to answer each time and left Atlanta with an 80-72 win. Miles (10-3, 7-1 SIAC West) is the first team in the conference to 10 wins and has the best record in the league, while CAU (9-5, 6-1 SIAC East) retains its perch atop the East Division standings despite losing at home to the Golden Bears for the first time since November 2018.
Miles never trailed after the first 90 seconds of the contest, but both teams flexed their might during multiple portions of the game. The Golden Bears, though, were the first team to take control. After the Panthers scored seven straight points to tie the game, the Golden Bears went on a 15-4 run.
Najashi Tolefree scored seven points,
Rylen Walker and
Alvin Miles both drained 3-pointers and Tavarus Carroll streaked down the court and finished with a driving layup to post Miles to a 25-14 lead at the 7:53 mark in the opening half.
CAU had closed to within five points with three-and-a-half minutes left in the first half but went 1-of-5 for the rest of the half. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears continued to cook. A three-point play, followed by a 3-ball from
Alvin Mileshad the lead back in double figures. Five more points from Walker built on the lead and a short jumper by
Chase Ballard (eight points) right before the halftime horn had the lead at 46-30 points. After shooting nearly 59 percent from the field in the opening half,
Corey Trotter (eight points, eight rebounds) dropped the first shot of the second half to build an 18-point advantage for the Golden Bears, their largest of the night.
A big dunk by Walker still had the Miles lead at 15 points with 15:44 remaining before CAU got things together. Twelve straight points by the Panthers - while Miles was 0-of-5 from the floor with a turnover - had the crowd right back into the game. The Clark Atlanta deficit was still three points midway through the final period before the Golden Bears were able to get some breathing room. A 7-0 run, with buckets from Tolefree, Walker and Miles, pushed the lead back to 65-55 with 7:29 remaining. From there, the Golden Bears were able to ice it from the charity stripe. Miles went 13-of-14 from the line - including all 10 over the final 2:37 - to close out the victory.
Dez'Mond Perkins had a team-high 16 points as one of four double-digit scorers for Clark Atlanta.
Alvin Miles (20 points, eight rebounds, four assists), Walker (career-high 19 points), and Tolefree (17 points) were the top scorers for the Golden Bears, who travel to face Kentucky State on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
FOLLOW THE SIAC
Stay connected by following the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on
Facebook,
Instagram and
X @TheSIAC.
SIAC NEWS
Sign up for
SIAC News to be among the first to receive media releases, updates and more!
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.