COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Miles found itself embroiled in a tough road battle on Saturday against Benedict, no surprise considering the last three trips to HRC Arena have yielded games that were decided by one possession.

This game looked like it was heading down the same path. The Lady Bears had squandered a 10-point lead in the first half and trailed early in the fourth quarter. But a devastating 15-0 run in the final period helped Miles win its fourth straight in this series (also the fourth consecutive in Columbia) with a 65-52 win over the Lady Tigers. The victory was the fifth straight for the Lady Bears (5-1, 3-0 SIAC West), who retain their spot atop the Western Division standings.

The score was tied at 43 after three quarters. Raven Johnson scored on consecutive trips for Benedict (2-4, 1-2 SIAC East) to grab a two-point advantage with eight minutes to go. But from there, Miles took over the contest. Iemyiah Harris (nine points, three assists) started the run with a steal and 3-ball on the ensuing possession to put the Lady Bears in front for good. Benedict went cold from the field, missing its next eight shots from the field as the Lady Bears continued to put the ball in the basket on the other end.

Simone Johnson (five points, three rebounds) scored on an offensive putback, then followed it with her own 3-pointer to push the Miles advantage to 55-47 with 3:45 remaining. Miles would then take advantage from the charity stripe, connecting on 4-of-5 free throws - the last two coming from Feliah Greer (11 points, seven rebounds) with 2:20 left - to push the lead 60-47. The Lady Tigers would snap the 15-point surge with two free throws but would not score again from the field until Gwendasia Page converted with 1:28 remaining. Benedict went nearly seven minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter and missed 12-of-15 shots from the floor in the deciding period as Miles closed out the victory.

Raven Johnson and Taylor Christmas led Benedict with seven points each. Tederia Ashley (13 points, three steals) and Makayla Rieves (eight points, four rebounds, three steals) played well for Miles, which is back in action on Monday when it plays at Allen. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.