When one team dominates a team over a 3-4 minute stretch during a basketball game, it is considered to have gone on a good run. But what happened during Miles' win over Kentucky State on Saturday had to have felt like a marathon.

The Golden Bears dominated during an 18-minute stretch through the middle portion of the game, turning a close game into a laugher. Five players scored in double figures in an 87-49 win over the Thorobreds at Knox-Windham Gymnasium, giving Miles (13-3, 8-2) a season-high five-game win streak and moving it into first place in the SIAC Western Division. Kentucky State (7-10, 4-6) became the third team this season that failed to score 50 points against Miles.

KSU battled early, keeping Miles within shouting distance. When Jordan Little split a pair of free throws with 7:48 left in the first half, the Thorobreds trailed 23-21. Braeden Stewart would score on the other end on the Golden Bears next possession but there was nothing that appeared to foretell how that would be the starting point of Miles' most dominant stretch of basketball this season.

The Stewart basket started a run of 12 consecutive points for Miles as he and Richard Feagin (12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) combined for nine of the points. Little would score another basket for KSU with 2:30 remaining before halftime but it was the only stumbling block for the Golden Bears over the final eight minutes of the first half as they went into the break with a 45-23 lead. In the first 20 minutes, Miles shot 53 percent from the field and dominated on the boards, outrebounding Kentucky State 24-12. Just as important, the Golden Bears held KSU to 1-for-11 shooting over the final eight minutes of the half to build their second-largest halftime lead of the season.

As much as a 22-point halftime lead generally insures victory, the Miles onslaught wasn't nearly complete. Jelani Watson-Gayle opened the second half by draining a 3-pointer. Stewart (13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) scored twice - once after being left open on the weak side for a two-handed jam - and Avery Brown dropped a jumper in the lane to give the Golden Bears a 54-23 lead less than three minutes into the second half. 

Little would score again to open the scoring for the Thorobreds in the second half  but that was just a small deterrent for the Golden Bears. A basket by Umar Frost (7 points, 3 rebounds) as part of a 3-point play would sandwich a technical foul by a frustrated KSU squad that produced two free throws by Brown. With 10:06 left in the contest, Miles led 67-27. That put a cap on a run where Miles would outscore Kentucky State 44-6. During that stretch, the Thorobreds shot 3-of-21 from the field and turned the ball over eight times while Miles could seemingly do no wrong. But Miles still wasn't done. It would not let KSU closer than 32 points the rest of the way and built the lead as large as 43 points late in the game.

Little (11 points) and Jah Bennett (10 points) were the only players in double figures for Kentucky State. Brown (20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), Watson-Gayle (19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) and Frank Royles (10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals) had big efforts for Miles, which hosts Central State on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.