The Lady Bears had a great chance to lock up the No. 2 seed in the SIAC West Division as it went on the road for stops at Central State and Kentucky State this week. While Miles (15-7 overall, 11-6 SIAC West) still holds the inside track thanks to its 71-58 win over the Lady Marauders on Thursday, its 73-67 loss to the Thorobrettes (13-9, 10-6) on Saturday leaves the Lady Bears with a little more work to do.  

MILES 71, CENTRAL STATE 58

The Lady Bears broke open a tie game at the half with their most plentiful quarter of the season. The score was tied at 28 early in the third quarter when Miles held Central State to just one field goal over the first three minutes of the period. Tederia Ashley scored eight points and Feliah Greer added the other six points in a 14-3 run to give Miles a 42-31 advantage with 7:10 left in the quarter. An additional 11-2 run, punctuated by a Deresia Randle layup opened the Lady Bears' lead to 53-35 with three minutes remaining.

Miles would score 30 points in the third, the first time it has hit that mark in any period since scoring 36 against Carver College last season and the only time it has happened against a NCAA Division II team since women's basketball went to quarters during the 2015-16 season. Unfortunately for the Lady Marauders, the bludgeoning did not stop there. The Lady Bears would lead by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter after another bucket by Ashley, who scored a season-high 20 points while adding seven rebounds, three steals and a season-high two blocks.

Iemyiah Harris (13 points, six rebounds, four assists), Greer (10 points, four rebounds, four assists, two blocks), and Nuriyah Slaton (seven points, seven rebounds, three assists) and Eunique McKinney (four points, five assists, six steals) filled the stat sheet for the Lady Bears in the victory.

KENTUCKY STATE 73, MILES 67

Miles erased a double-digit deficit in the second half but went cold down the stretch in falling to the Thorobrettes and splitting the season series.

Leading by two points with two minutes to go before halftime, the Lady Bears gave up nine straight points to close the second quarter and went into the break in a 27-20 hole. The deficit grew larger when Gracen Kerr knocked down a 3-pointer to give KSU a 40-28 lead with 5:18 left in the third quarter. But Imani Williams scored eight points over the next three minutes and the Lady Bears allowed just one field goal during that span as part of a 14-3 run that brought Miles back into the contest.

KSU led 49-45 going into the fourth quarter but consecutive baskets by Ashley and Greer gave Miles a 55-54 lead with 6:51 left in the game. But the Lady Bears were unable to build on the lead and the Thorobrettes took advantage, scoring 10 straight points over the next four minutes to take a nine-point lead with less than three minutes remaining. The last minute of the game delved into a free throw shooting contest with Miles converting all six of its chances but KSU going 7-of-9 to seal the victory.

Williams scored a season-high 17 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists and three steals while Greer (17 points on 11-of-13 free throws along with five assists - both season highs) and Ashley (11 points, five rebounds) were the top scorers for Miles.

UP NEXT

The Lady Bears conclude their road swing when they play Clark Atlanta on Thursday in their final road contest of the regular season. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.