With 8.1 seconds left in overtime, things looked gloomy for the Miles women's basketball team Saturday afternoon against a Kentucky State team that dressed just seven players.

The Lady Bears trailed Kentucky State by one point and the Thorobrettes were set to inbound the ball. A loss would have cost Miles its tenuous hold on first place in the SIAC Western Division race. More troubling was that KSU had just four players on the court at the time, which would have set up an ignominious defeat.

Enter Raiana Johnson to brighten the day. 

The junior forward streaked across the floor to steal the inbounds pass and laid it off the glass and in a second later to give Miles the lead for good in an eventual 63-60 win over KSU. The victory for the Lady Bears (11-5, 7-2) was big for so many reasons. It kept them slightly ahead of Tuskegee in the SIAC West, avenged a one-point upset loss to the Thorobrettes in last year's SIAC Tournament, and gave Miles its first home win over KSU (5-11, 2-7) since 2014.

Even after Johnson's basket, Miles needed some good fortune to close out the victory. 

After the Lady Bears called timeout, KSU inbounded to Allenia Ponder, who dribbled into the frontcourt trying to build up some steam for a drive to the basket. But Sakina Wynn inexplicably fouled her near halfcourt, setting up two free throws with five seconds left. Fortunately, for Miles, she missed both attempts with Johnson (7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) pulling down the rebound on the second attempt and getting the ball into the hands of Najla Shamsid-Deen (4 points, 3 assists, 3 steals), who was fouled. The senior guard knocked down both free throws and the Thorobrettes could not get a desperation shot off before the horn to force a second overtime.

The entire game was action packed. Miles scored the first eight points of the game but needed a Jaylen Snipes (8 points, 2 assists) jumper at the horn to enjoy a 20-19 lead at halftime. Kentucky State opened a five-point advantage in the third quarter but Miles erased it and still led by two points going into the fourth. The two teams then settled into slugfest, with the Thorobrettes using forward Victoria Blankenship (10 of KSU's 14 fourth quarter points) to throw haymakers while Miles answered with combinations from Sakina Wynn and Mya Millner (combined for 10 of  Miles' 12 fourth quarter points). Wynn and Millner (7 points) had a chance for a knockout blow but both missed shots as time expired in regulation.

The overtime period was just as action packed as the lead changed hands 10 times along with three ties. But attrition set in for Kentucky State. Guard Amani Williams fouled out with eight secodns left in the fourth quarter. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Blankenship fouled out out and 23 seconds later, Carnethia Brown was disqualified after picking up her fifth foul, leaving KSU to play 4-on-5 for the final 51 seconds. But that didn't look like it was going to be an issue when Erica Jones scored with 30 seconds left to give the Thorobrettes a 60-59 lead and forced a turnover on Miles' next possession to put them on the precipise of victory before Johnson saved the day.

Blankenship scored 25 points and Jones added 20 for Kentucky State. Wynn (20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) led the offensive effort while Katrice Jackson (3 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block) was solid on the defensive end for Miles, which hosts Central State on Monday. Tip time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.