Second half fade leads to third straight loss
Box Score
MONTEVALLO, Ala. -- Miles got off to a strong start and led by as many as 13 points in the first half. But an inability to knock down shots, especially from the outside, stifled the offense over the final 20 minutes as the Golden Bears fell to Columbus State 82-71 in the PBC-SIAC Challenge at Trustmark Arena.
Joshua Johnson, playing in his first game of the season, scored a team-high 15 points while
Shaquille Cook had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Bears (0-3). But after a dunk by
Aron Stewart (six points, five rebounds, two blocks) gave Miles a 38-25 lead with just under three minutes to go in the first half, things started to disintegrate.
A four-point play by Columbus State (2-0) right before the half sent the teams into the locker room with Miles holding a 40-34 advantage. But the play was part of a 19-4 run that gave the Cougars a 49-44 lead with 15 minutes to go. The Golden Bears would never retake the lead, shooting 32 percent from the floor (10-for-31) while missing all seven of their 3-point attempts.
Rudy Winters had a game-high 17 points for the Cougars and Marcus Dixon had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Javier McKinney (12 points, eight rebounds, five assists) and
Chauncey Day (11 points, five rebounds) also scored in double figures for Miles, which will play Montevallo Saturday at 7 p.m.
