Over the past three seasons, Morehouse has been one of the first programs discussed when determining the short list of elite teams in the SIAC. But after Miles throttled the Maroon Tigers on Saturday afternoon, it may be time to lead those conversations by mentioning the Golden Bears. 

Miles turned a close game into a rout in the second half with a devastating seven-minute run en route to a 70-49 win over Morehouse at Knox-Windham Gymnasium. It was the second straight season that the defending SIAC champion Golden Bears (8-2, 3-1 SIAC West) have dominated the Maroon Tigers (7-6, 4-2 SIAC East) and this time, the turning point was a blitzkrieg on the defensive end that turned into an avalanche of points that put the game out of reach.

The Golden Bears had erased an eight-point deficit in the first half behind the strong play of Braeden Stewart, who scored all 10 of his points in the first 20 minutes. But Morehouse would go into the half with a 30-28 lead when Jarius Adley tipped in a Robert Andrews miss right before the horn. Five minutes into the second half, a Tremell Gooden bucket gave the Maroon Tigers a 36-32 advantage and Miles looked like it was going to be in for a fight.

But Miles would turn that fight into a brutal, one-sided bludgeoning for the next seven minutes. Jelani Watson-Gayle (17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals) and Avery Brown would make 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Golden Bears the lead for good with 14:21 left. After a 3-point play by Frank Royles (15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals), Watson-Gayle and Richard Feagin drilled two more 3-balls for 15 consecutive points in less than three minutes and a 47-36 lead.

A 15-0 would be satisfactory for plenty of teams, but the Golden Bears weren't finished. Over the next four minutes, Feagin would score four more points, Watson-Gayle would drain another 3-pointer and Umar Frost (7 points, 5 rebounds) would convert a 3-point play that gave Miles a 57-38 lead with 7:58 to go. As much as the offense was putting on the show, it was the defense that put the game on lock. During the Miles explosion, Morehouse would miss all five shots it took, turn the ball over five times, and miss 4-of-6 free throws. When Chris Brown scored to end the 19-2 run, it marked the Maroon Tigers' first basket from the field in 7:24.

It didn't get much better for Morehouse the rest of the way as it missed 6-of-9 shots from the field and turned the ball over six times. Miles would lead by as many as 22 points while holding the Maroon Tigers to their lowest scoring output of the season.

Adley scored 10 points and Brown added 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks for Morehouse. Feagin (9 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals) and Brown (8 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals) had solid all-around games for Miles, which hosts Albany State on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.