Women's season end in loss to Benedict
Box Score Miles came out hot in the first quarter of its SIAC Basketball Championship semifinal against Benedict, making early shots and using a lot of energy to take an early lead.
But a second quarter meltdown put the Lady Golden Bears in a hole from which they could not recover, falling 65-58 to the Lady Tigers Friday at Bill Harris Arena. The loss ends Miles (17-12) season while Benedict (26-2) advances to the championship game on Saturday.
Tierra Williams had 16 points and
Amoni Walker added 12 for the Golden Bears, who shot less than 28 percent from the field and gave up 21 points off of turnovers to seal their fate.
Two free throws by walker with 3:42 remaining brought Miles to within two points and the Golden Bears took two shots to tie the contest. But when
Ashley Steger and
Morgan Hardy both missed their shots, Benedict got a 3-point play from Kadeeja Vaughn that pushed the lead back to five points. Miles did not make a field goal for the final 5:43 of the contest, which also thwarted any comeback attempts.
The forecast did not look so cloudy at the outset, as Miles shot out to an early lead. The Golden Bears scored the first six points of the game and when
Torborsha Holley finished a 3-point play started by Williams, Benedict trailed 11-3. A late basket by
Jamarra Taylor helped Miles to a 20-14 advantage at the end of the first quarter, but the good times would not last for long.
Benedict scored the first eight points of the second quarter to take the lead - one Miles would get right back on a 3-point play by
Takayla Blackburn. But the Golden Bears turned the ball over seven times, committed eight fouls, and shot 33 percent from the field in the second quarter, was outscored 20-9, and trailed 34-29 at the half.
A basket by Terri Jacobs helped Benedict to a 42-30 advantage - its biggest of the game - with 6:52 left in the third quarter. But Miles fought back, using a 13-2 run over the next five minutes to get back into the contest. The Golden Bears trailed 49-45 going into the final period, but were just not able to do enough to advance to the finals for the first time since 2011.
Jacobs scored 22 points and DeVontaye Merritt had eight points and 10 rebounds for Benedict. Blackburn had seven points while
Shaquinta Sales, in her final game with Miles, scored six points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
