Lady Bears fall at Central State
Box Score
WILBERFORCE, Ohio -- A tied game at halftime fell apart in the third quarter as Central State defeated Miles 77-64 Saturday afternoon at Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium.
Morgan Hardy had her third straight double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) but the offense fell apart after a disputed call that cost the Lady Bears the lead.
Miles (6-8, 1-2 SIAC) rushed out to an early nine-point lead and was tied at 36 at the half.
Larian Scott scored all 11 of her points in the first 20 minutes and the Lady Bears shot 45 percent from the floor and held a 21-19 edge on the glass.
But Central State (10-5, 5-2) was far more active in the second half and Miles struggled to match the intensity. The Marauders took an early lead but it appeared that the Lady Bears had retaken the lead when
Najla Shamsid-Deen (six points, four rebounds, three assists) drained a long jumper right in front of the Miles bench. The official near the play began to call the shot a 3-pointer but the far official stopped play and overruled the call, making the shot worth just two points, which tied the game at 40. Rahni Bell (21 points) would knock down two of her five 3-pointers inside the final two minutes of the quarter as CSU would hold a 51-45 lead going into the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter was a series of turnovers for Miles and fast break opportunities for CSU as the game got out of reach. As a final indignity, Sierra Harley made a 3-pointer as time expired for the final margin. Miles expected the Marauders to run out the clock with the game firmly in hand and relaxed on defense before Harley launched the final salvo, which grew some stares from the Miles bench as the teams shook hands.
Ghameerah MCCullers scored 21 points for CSU.
Taylor Terry had nine points,
Ashley McCrear had seven points, three rebounds and three steals, and
Javonne Brown had four points and seven rebounds for Miles, which plays at Kentucky State on Monday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
