Miles has owned the series against Spring Hill in recent years, entering Monday night's tilt against the Badgers having won 13 of the previous 14 matchups. But the Lady Bears were struggling to find their groove in the first half and were in a much tougher battle than many would have anticipated.

Still, the Lady Bears were able to dominate the second half, using a blistering third quarter as the catalyst in a 68-51 win at Knox-Windham Gymnasium. The win was the ninth straight over the Badgers (6-14, 5-8) and keeps Miles (12-4, 9-3) a game in front of Lane and Tuskegee in the race for the SIAC West title.

Spring Hill lead 29-28 at the half and appeared to have an even bigger lead as Claudia Garrido's halfcourt heave went through the net at the horn. But the officials waved off the 3-ball, which garnered a mild protest from the Spring Hill bench and a small sigh of relief from the Miles faithful. The Lady Bears then used that reprieve to jump-start their second half dominance.

The Lady Bears still trailed by a point early in the third quarter before using a 13-0 run to take control. The defense got their hands on multiple passes and loose balls, using four steals that lead directly to eight points. Makayla Rieves (seven points, eight rebounds) scored four points during the stretch and the final points came on a 3-pointer by Nakedria Turner (six points, two steals), whose long-range bucket gave Miles a 45-32 advantage with 2:20 left in the period. While Miles was collecting the turnovers and points, SHC was unable to get anything going and missed all six shots from the field during that five-minute gauntlet.

Miles shot 53 percent from the field in the third quarter to open a 47-38 lead heading into the fourth. The Lady Bears continued to apply the pressure, opening the quarter with a steal from Iemyiah Harris that lead to a Feliah Greer layup. Harris then found her range from the outside, splashing two 3-pointers. She was fouled on the second attempt, which led to a four-point play and a 58-44 lead with just less than six minutes to go. Spring Hill did not get closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

Marta Duda had 13 points and Garrido added 10 points to lead Spring Hill. Miles got big performances from Greer (12 points, seven rebounds, four steals), Harris (11 points, four steals), Kiyara Howard-Garza (eight points, three steals) and India Brown (six points, seven rebounds). The Lady Bears are back in action on Saturday as they host Lane. Tip-off is at 1 p.m.