The saying goes that it is hard to beat a team three times in a season. Wednesday afternoon, Miles did everything it could to make that axiom true when it battled Clark Atlanta in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals at Bill Harris Arena.

Despite having the lead at halftime and staying close when they fell behind in the fourth quarter, the Western Division No. 4 seed Lady Bears could not get over the hump, falling 60-54 to the Eastern Division No. 1 seed Lady Panthers. CAU (18-8) advances to the semifinals while Miles (9-21) sees its season come to an end.

Down by three with less than a minute to go, Amoni Walker (seven points) had a good look at a 3-pointer to tie but the shot was off the mark. After forcing a turnover, Victoria Sutton (seven points) had two chances to cut the deficit to a single point  but her jumpers both caught iron. CAU would make 3-of-4 free throws over the last 11 seconds to secure the victory. 

Miles did not have anyone score more than four points in the first half but held the Lady Panthers to less than 30 percent shooting from the field in grabbing a 24-21 lead at the half. But a steal and layup by Naomi Holloway gave CAU a 26-25 lead with 6:45 left in the third quarter and the Lady Bears would not lead again. But that did not mean Miles went away quietly.

The Lady Bears would fall behind by as many as six points in the third quarter but tied the game at 37 when Jasmine Hollis hit the first of two free throws with 1:41 left in the period. But CAU was able to regain a four-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter. The game looked like it was getting away from Miles when Holloway nailed a 3-pointer at the 7:39 mark of the fourth quarter to give the Lady Panthers a 50-41 advantage.

But Miles was able to claw back into it as Hollis got hot from the outside. She made one jumper from just inside the 3-point arc, then drained threes on back-to-back possession to cut the deficit to one with 6:43 to go. But she would not take another shot for the remainder of the game as the Lady Bears missed seven of their last eight shots to close the game.

Holloway (17 points) and Lauren Turner (13 points) were the top scorers for Clark Atlanta. Hollis (13 points, nine rebounds) and Taylor Terry (11 points, 11 rebounds) paced the effort for Miles.