CLINTON, Miss. -- The Miles women's basketball team had not played in two weeks and through the first 10 minutes against Mississippi College, the rust showed.

But in the second quarter, the Lady Bears refocused, especially on the defensive end, to take control. Najla Shamsid-Deen scored a team-high 14 and added six assists, four rebounds and four steals as Miles (5-1) continued its blistering start to the season with a 61-50 win over Mississippi College Saturday night at Wood Coliseum.

Even with Shamsid-Deen's performance, it was a balanced team effort that got the job done against the Choctaws (3-7). Ten different players scored and nine different players had at least one rebound for the Lady Bears, although no other player reached double figures in either category. Still, Miles trailed for only eight seconds in the second half and were never really threatened in the fourth quarter.

Mississippi College held Miles without a basket for nearly seven minutes between the first and second quarters and led 17-10 with 8:42 left in the first half. But the Lady Bears got stingy on defense, holding the Choctaws to just one field goal the rest of the quarter and scoreless over the final four minutes. Meanwhile, the Lady Bears shared the rock, getting points from six different players in a game-defining 15-3 run to end the half. Jasmine Hollis' (eight points, seven rebounds) bucket game Miles a two-point lead with less than a minute to go and Shamsid-Deen drained a 3-pointer in the waning seconds to give Miles a 25-20 halftime lead.

The Choctaws would briefly take the lead in the third quarter but Shamsid-Deen scored quickly after a missed free throw to put Miles back on top for good midway through the third quarter. The lead would swell to 12 points after an Amya Bryant (eight points) basket with 6:43 left. Mississippi College would not get any closer than five points down the stretch.

Zariah Matthews (17 points) and Jamilah Sanders (12 points) were the top scorers for Mississippi College. Mya Milner (six points, game-high eight rebounds), Taylor Terry (four points, seven rebounds, two blocks), and Victoria Sutton (six points, three assists) all had solid contributions for Miles, which hosts Albany State on Saturday. Tip time is scheduled for 1 p.m.