WILBERFORCE, Ohio -- Miles used a strong start and big work on the glass to dispatch Central State 80-49 Saturday afternoon at Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium.
The 24th-ranked Lady Bears (10-2, 8-1 SIAC West) opened a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter and did not allow the Lady Marauders to make a basket from the field for the first 8:35 of the game. The lead was as high as 17 points in the opening stanza and Miles would settle for a 24-10 advantage at the end of the period.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by
Jaylen Pleasant (13 points, four rebounds, three assists) and
Samarian Franklin (10 points, four rebounds, four assists) to open the second quarter was followed by a bucket by
Tawana Nevels (10 points, seven rebounds), who scored after grabbing two offensive rebounds, to push the Miles lead to 32-10 less than two minutes into the period. The Lady Bears work on the glass was a recurring theme throughout as they outrebounded CSU 60-32, an advantage that included an incredible 35 offensive rebounds for Miles.
Another 3-pointer by Franklin - one of 12 the Lady Bears converted on the game - gave Miles its biggest lead at 68-31 with 2:47 left in the third quarter. The Lady Marauders never got back to within 30 points for the remainder of the contest.
DeZarae Stewart (17 points) and Ma'Kayla Williams (13) were the high scorers for Central State.
Jalyn Shelby had a team-high 14 points and
Shannon Niles added 11 for the Lady Bears, who face Kentucky State on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
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