With another SIAC West Division title in sight, No. 22 Miles wasted little time in overpowering Spring Hill on Monday night. The Lady Bears started the game on a 19-2 run and never looked back, knocking off the Badgers for the 12th straight time in a 76-51 win. The victory clinched the division for the third consecutive year and the No. 1 seed for the SIAC Tournament in two weeks.
Freshman guard
Samarian Franklin had nine points and a school-record 16 assists - the most in a single-game by a SIAC member in more than 15 years and the second-most in all of Division II this season.
Jaylen Pleasant continued her hot shooting with a game-high 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting on 3-pointers.
Makayla Rieves added a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Miles (21-4, 19-3 SIAC) scored 38 points off of 25 Badger turnovers in the rout.
Pleasant drilled a 3-ball on the first shot of the game, Franklin followed shortly thereafter and
Shannon Niles banged home a third in the first four minutes of the game. Consecutive buckets by
Mya Millner gave Miles a 19-2 lead at the 4:27 mark of the opening period. The lead was just nine at the end of the first but a basket by Rieves and another triple from Pleasant in the first 45 seconds - both on dimes from Franklin - had the advantage back into double digits at 28-14 and Spring hill never got any closer.
Franklin got her 10th and 11th assists on back-to-back possessions as she fed Pleasant for two more 3-pointers and a 52-26 lead early in the third quarter. The lead got as large as 29 points on several occasions in the second half, the last time coming on Franklin's final assist - this one to
Tawana Nevels with 2:39 remaining to give Miles a 76-47 lead.
The Lady Bears are back in action on Thursday when they host SIAC East-leading Edward Waters at 5:30 p.m.
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