Miles struggled from the free throw line Thursday night against Edward Waters but made just enough of them down the stretch to post a 72-70 win over Edward Waters at Knox-Windham Gymnasium. With the victory, the Lady Bears (14-5) have now alternated wins and losses over their last seven games while sending the Lady Tigers (13-11) to their third consecutive defeat.

Midway through the third quarter, it did not look as if Miles would have to battle back to earn the win. Imani Williams was enjoying a monster effort, having secured a double-double early in the third, and her bucket with 5:38 left in the period gave the Lady Bears a 52-38 advantage. The Lady Tigers had cut their deficit to four points after that but when Jakera Ellerbee (six points) scored for Miles with 8:40 remaining in the game, Edward Waters still trailed 62-52.

But over the next five minutes, the bottom fell out for the Lady Bears. They missed 3-of-4 four shots from the field and the free throw line. Even worse, they turned the ball over eight times, including one stretch where they lost the ball on five consecutive possessions. Meanwhile, Edward Waters was taking advantage. When Kristian Jewsome scored with 3:10 to go, the Lady Tigers had taken a 66-65 lead.

Edward Waters was still ahead by a point with 90 seconds left and it did not look like Miles would get out of its tailspin, turning the ball over three straight possessions at that point and missing its only shot from the field. But the tide finally turned in the final 30 seconds. Deresia Randle (five points, six rebounds) split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 70 with 26 ticks remaining. Then, Camryn London (12 points, four steals, two blocks) forced turnovers in the backcourt on the Lady Tigers next two possessions. She would split a pair of free throws to give Miles the lead with 15 seconds on the clock. Tahlor Sutton would miss two more free throws to still give EWU a chance as Miles went 6-of-14 in the final quarter from the charity stripe and 17-of-32 (53 percent) for the game.

Miles would force one more turnover, which sent Williams - who scored a career-high 20 points along with 15 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks - back to the line with two seconds left. She split those and the Lady Tigers were not able to get off a shot as the Lady Bears survived.

La'Quanza Glover had 18 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and six steals while Molly Ragle added 15 points for Edward Waters.  Markisha Body had 12 points and four rebounds while Nadia Cathey added 11 points, nine assists and three steals for Miles, which hosts Tuskegee on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.