There may not have been many people who thought Miles would have much of an issue with Allen Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears are one of the favorites to win the SIAC title while the Yellow Jackets are just looking to get their second win of the season. 

While Miles ultimately led the entire second half and earned a 61-51 win at Knox-Windham Gymnasium, Allen was able to keep the game competitive for most of the contest. The Golden Bears got off to a slow start but ultimately found its way midway through the first half to take control of of the contest.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Peyton Weathersby and Cameron Sembly staked the Yellow Jackets to a 17-10 lead with 8:36 left in the first half. But the Golden Bears got stingy on defense and did not allow another basket from the field until Allen scored right att the buzzer. Between those buckets Miles forced seven turnovers and Allen missed its four shots from the field. Offensively, Rodney Battle was in his bag, nailing an assortment of running one-handers and stepback jumpers. He scored 11 points - the last of them coming on a 3-pointer with nine seconds left to open an 11-point lead - and the Golden Bears went into the half with a 32-23 lead.

Allen tried to go with a smaller lineup in the second half but Miles was able to match it and thrive. Mykayle Carter (five points, game-high 10 rebounds) opened the final period with a 3-pointer and Eddie Smith (four points)  knocked down a short jumper to push the Miles advantage to 12 points. It was as large as 13 points when Truitt Spence scored with 8:27 to go for a 51-38 lead. While the Yellow Jackets never let the game get out of reach, they never got closer than seven points the entire second half.

Anthony Baker (13 points) was the only double-digit scorer for Allen. Battle had a game-high 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting, Yasim Hooker had 13 points and nine rebounds while Chase Ballard came off the bench to score 10 points while adding six assists and four rebounds for Miles, which will play at Albany State on Jan. 2. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.