FAIRFIELD, Ala. — Some well placed 3-pointers in the third quarter helped No. 20
Miles overcome a halftime deficit en route to a 74-62 win over
Lane Thursday night at Knox-Windham Gymnasium. The win was the fourth straight for the Lady Bears (12-2, 10-1 SIAC West), who maintain a two-game lead over Tuskegee for first place in and pushed the third-place Lady Dragons (8-3, 7-3) even further back.
Lane seemed bent on taking away point guard
Samarian Franklin's ability to heavily impact the contest. Dedicated defenders - whose sole purpose was to deny her from even catching the ball - seemed like the game plan from the start. But the freshman could not be stopped as she made her first five shots from the field in the first half and she - along with the other Miles ball handlers - were able to get great penetration throughout the contest. Unfortunately, that did not keep Lane from holding a 35-33 lead at halftime.
Miles quickly erased the deficit after the break, using a 6-0 run capped by a
Tawana Nevels bucket to take a 39-37 lead. Lane would go back in front but consecutive 3-pointers by
Jalyn Shelby (nine points) gave Miles a 45-41 advantage with 4:35 left in the third quarter. Lane would cut the lead to two points before
Shannon Niles (12 points, four rebounds) knocked down her own triple to spark a 7-1 run that kept the Lady Dragons from tying the contest.
The lead was just five points entering the fourth quarter before the Lady Bears took control with six straight points to start the period. A layup by
Mya Millner (six points) gave Miles a 60-49 lead less than two minutes into the period. Lane would continue to hang around but never got closer than six points. The final dagger came with 2:35 left when
Madison Lee (nine points, seven rebounds) - who had missed her first five 3-point attempts on the night - threw up a prayer from the top of the key that banked off the glass and went in as the shot clock expired to give the Lady Bears a 70-59 lead with 2:45 remaining.
Franklin, despite the defensive attention, had a monster game for the Lady Bears with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. Nevels had six points, seven rebounds, and three blocks while
Makayla Rieves added six points, five rebounds and four blocks for Miles, which hosts LeMoyne-Owen on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) 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.