It took nearly three months for Miles to complete its home game against Spring Hill but the Lady Bears would have probably preferred to wait longer if it meant a better result.

Spring Hill used two bug stretches in the second half to make what was a competitive battle a lopsided finish, earning a 73-54 win over Miles Saturday afternoon at Knox-Windham Gymnasium. It was Senior Day for the Lady Bears, who were completing a suspended game from Nov. 30. Senior Ashley McCrear scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds in her final home game as Miles (8-20, 5-13 SIAC West) earned the Western Division No. 4 seed for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament despite the loss.

The game resumed Saturday at the start of the third quarter with the Lady Bears trailing 30-24. But Miles made five of its first six shots from the field to cut the deficit to three points at the 6:45 mark. When McCrear nailed jumpers on back-to-back possessions, SHC (22-6, 15-3) led just 39-38 with less than five minutes to go in the third. But the shots stopped falling from there as the Badgers closed the period on an 11-3 run to lead 50-41 going into the fourth. Miles would miss 4-of-5 shots (a Victoria Sutton 3-pointer the only make) and turn the ball over twice as Spring Hill started to assert command.

The Lady Bears, though, did not just go away. They made one more push to start the fourth quarter as Taylor Terry and Najla Shamsid-Deen hit jumpers to bring Miles to within five points. But SHC put the game on ice, scoring 15 straight points over a 3-minute stretch to eliminate any doubt in the final outcome.

Tiffany Valentine scored 18 points and Jewel Hill added 17 points for Spring Hill, whose season is complete. Sutton (11 points, three assists), Shamsid-Deen (nine points, four rebounds), and Terry (eight points, seven rebounds) played well for Miles, which will take on Fort Valley State on Monday in the opening round of the SIAC Tournament at Bill Harris Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:15 p.m.