This season, there have been times when Miles' women's basketball team have looked dominant, squeezing the life out of opponents on the defensive end and turning that effort into prolonged offensive runs. That performance was on display Monday, using two big spurts in the second and third quarters to come away with a 63-55 win over Albany State at Knox-Windham Gymnasium.

It took the Lady Bears (8-3, 4-1 SIAC West) more than a quarter to wrest the lead from the Lady Rams (2-12, 1-6 SIAC East). But when they finally got it rolling, there wasn't much Albany State could do to slow Miles' momentum en route to a third straight victory. Miles would force 23 turnovers and got multiple second chance opportunities by grabbing 20 offensive rebounds.

Albany State opened a quick six-point advantage in the first quarter and led 11-10 at the end of the period. But the Lady Bears would take control of the game midway through the second quarter. Kahyanne Bolton would give Miles the lead for good with a bucket at the 5:28 mark for a 19-17 advantage. The defense would proceed to lockdown the Lady Rams, holding them without a basket for six minutes while Victoria Sutton would spark the surge by making plays all over the floor.

During that six-minute stretch, Sutton had three assists, two steals and two points. Charlisa Wellington (7 points, 3 rebounds) would benefit from the final steal and assist when she scored on a fastbreak with 2:34 left in the half. On the ensuing possession, Wellington would score again while getting fouled, capping a 12-0 run that gave the Lady Bears a 29-19 lead.

Miles led 30-22 at the half but dominated the opening five minutes of the third quarter to stretch the lead. Breah McGrady would nail two straight 3-pointers and Sutton would drain another as part of a 12-2 run that extended the Lady Bears' lead to 42-26. Two baskets by Bolton (10 points) to open the fourth quarter saw Miles increase its advantage to 19 points. An 11-2 run helped the Lady Rams make things interesting late but they never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.

Alexis Smith had 20 points and Ciera Norman added 11 points for Albany State. Sutton (17 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) and Katrice Jackson (12 points, 10 rebounds) led the way for Miles, which is back in action on Saturday, when it hosts LeMoyne-Owen. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.