Miles couldn't seem to buy a bucket in the first half of its regular season final against Lane Monday night at Knox-Windham Gymnasium. In the second half, the Lady Bears shot like they wouldn't miss.

Shooting nearly 59 percent from the field over the final two quarters, the Lady Bears sewed up the West Division No. 2 seed by turning what was once a 10-point deficit into a 20-point victory over the Dragons, 73-53. That makes four straight wins for Miles (19-7, 13-6 SIAC West) heading into next week's 2023 TIAA SIAC Basketball Championships presented by Cricket, which ties a season high.

The Lady Bears missed an assortment of easy buckets and fastbreak opportunities early and found themselves trailing 20-10 with 6:38 left in the second quarter. Despite shooting just 19.5 percent from the field in the first half, Miles was able to chip away at the deficit. Allowing just one field goal over the final six minutes, the Lady Bears trailed just 24-23 going into the break.

Miles still trailed midway through the third quarter before the offense really kicked into gear. Eunique McKinney (nine points, four rebounds) gave the Lady Bears life, starting with a jumper that put them ahead 36-65 with just under four minutes remaining. She would proceed to make baskets on the next three consecutive possessions as the teams traded bucket, the last coming with 1:27 in the period to give the Lady Bears a 42-40 advantage. She continued with her hot hand, getting a steal and finding Iemyiah Harris on the fast break, then dropping the dime to Harris for a 3-ball that gave Miles buckets on seven consecutive possessions. Dereseia Randle (eight points, five rebounds, five blocks, three assists) converted two free throws with one second left and Miles finished the quarter on an 11-1 run to open a 49-38 lead.

Any comeback thoughts by Lane were quickly throttled at the start of the fourth quarter by Harris. She knocked down 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions, the last coming after dancing with a dribble, defender in her face, and pulling up from long range that sent the crowd into a frenzy and gave Miles a 58-40 lead with 7:33 left. She would make a fourth 3-pointer with 2:20 remaining that pushed the lead to 20 points. She scored 14 of her game-high 28 points in the final quarter, adding to a stat line that included six rebounds, four steals, two assists and a blocked shot.

Brailyn Tate (18 points, nine rebounds) and Tamia Curry (12 points, 10 rebounds) were the top performers for Lane. Feliah Greer (12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals), Tederia Ashley (eight points, four rebounds, two steals) and Imani Williams (two points, team-high nine rebounds) helped lead the way for the Lady Bears.