Senior guard Chris English made his last basket at Knox-Windham Gymnasium memorable, draining a 3-pointer with less than a second remaining to help Miles defeat Spring Hill 80-77 Saturday afternoon.

The win was big, not just because it was Senior Day with extra family and friends in attendance, but it enabled the Golden Bears (7-19, 6-13) to snap a four-game losing streak and earn the West Division No. 4-seed for the upcoming Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. A loss would have put Miles at the bottom of the division.

Spring Hill (12-16, 9-10) erased a 10-point deficit over a four-minute span when Jack Morrissey drilled a 3-ball with 12 seconds left to tie the game at 77. After Miles head coach Leon Douglas called a time out, the Golden Bears brought the ball into the front court and had it in the hands of senior guard Carl Garcia, who was 1-on-1 with a defender at the top of the key. As he began his drive to the basket, English slid over to a spot to Garcia's left. When the pass hit English's hands, he unfurled a 3-pointer that hit nothing but net to give Miles the lead with 0.8 seconds remaining. The Badgers could not get a shot off in time as the Golden Bears celebrated the sweet victory.

It did not appear that Miles would need the late-game dramatics. Spring Hill never led by more than two points and Miles would not trail at any point over the last 28 minutes. When Garcia caught a missed English 3-pointer and windmill dunked home the rebound, it sparked a 20-8 run late in the first half that gave the Golden Bears their biggest lead, 43-28, with just more than two minutes left before halftime. Junior Nathan Sheffield had eight points - including a breakaway dunk - and senior Sheldon Wright scored seven during the stretch.

The Golden Bears shot 58 percent from the field in the first half and led 49-37 at the break. But the Badgers methodically stripped the lead, closing to within two points inside of 10 minutes to play. They had two opportunities to tie or take the lead. But William Loyd missed two free throws and Morrissey missed an open 3-pointer and Miles was able to stretch its advantage to 76-66 with 4:11 left to play.

Brandon Fischer scored 21 points and Chase Shellman added 18 for the Badgers, who completed their season in the defeat. Seniors Wright (18 points), English (12 points), and Garcia (eight points, nine rebounds) finished strong for Miles, which will play Fort Valley State Monday at 1 p.m. in the opening round of the SIAC Championship at Bill Harris Arena.