Golden Bears Slay the Dragons
Box Score Miles had only one senior on the floor Saturday for Senior Day,
Patrick Jackson, which underscores the transition the program has undergone in the first season under
Leon Douglas.
But the future looks bright for the Golden Bears. They have shown glimpses of being a team capable of doing more than just competing on a nightly basis. With Lane in town hoping to stay alive for a top seed in the upcoming SIAC Basketball Tournament, Miles was able to slay two Dragons in its final home game of the season, posting a near wire-to-wire victory and ending an eight-game losing skid with an 84-77 win.
Tavin Cummings had 20 points, five rebounds, four blocks and four steals for Miles (3-23, 2-17 SIAC), which shot almsot 52 percent from the field. Lane (13-11, 12-6) got a monster performance from Donald Stewart, who scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to save its five-game winning streak.
The Golden Bears jumped out to an early lead by the Dragons fought right back and held a 16-13 advantage. Jackson (eight points, four rebounds, two assists) would drain a 3-pointer to tie the game and
Kendarius Cunningham (two points, four rebounds, five assists) would score on Miles' next possession to spark a 10-0 run that gave the team the lead for good. Miles led 41-37 at halftime and Lane trailed by just three points eight minutes into the second half.
But the Golden Bears, who have lost second half leads on nine different occassions this season, held strong. A basket by
Larry Butler (16 points, seven rebounds) with 5:33 left gave Miles a 70-59 advanatge and they would lead by as many as 13 points. While things were a bit sloppy, as witnessed by 56 fouls and 78 free throws evenly divided between both teams (and amazingly, both teams each had two players foul out and both made 23 free throws), Miles was able to close out the game for its second home win of the season.
Terrance Bridgeman had 22 points for Lane while
Maiscei Grier had 16 points and
Hasain Bunnell added nine points and eight rebounds for Miles, which completed its regular season and will await its first round opponent in the SIAC Tournament.
