In a clash between the two division leaders in the SIAC, it was the Miles Golden Bears who came out on top, knocking off the defending SIAC champion Clark Atlanta Panthers 80-72.
Miles becomes the first team in the SIAC to reach 10 wins, improving their overall record to 10-3, including a 7-1 record in SIAC competition.
Meanwhile, Clark Atlanta suffers its first conference loss of the season, dropping its overall record to 9-5 and its conference record to 6-1.
Golden Bears’ guard Alvin Miles paced the team with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, including three three-pointers. He also added eight rebounds and four assists.
Miles returns to double-figure scoring after having a seven-game streak snapped in the team’s first conference loss against Morehouse last Saturday.
Rylen Walker and Najashi Tolefree followed closely behind with 19 and 17 points, respectively.
Clark Atlanta forward Dez’Mond Perkins led his team with 16 points and seven rebounds. Martez Jones and Jalen Williams each chipped in 11 points, with Jones adding nine rebounds.
Holding a slim 16-14 lead with 9:41 remaining in the first half, Miles went on a 9-0 run over the next two minutes, punctuated by two free throws by Tolefree.
They continued to put pressure on the Panthers, answering a brief run by outscoring them 19-8 over the final five minutes of the first half to take a 46-40 halftime lead.
After facing their biggest deficit of the game minutes into the start of the second half, trailing by 18 points, Clark Atlanta began battling back.
They got the lead down to single digits over the next four minutes before trimming their deficit to 54-51 with 12:12 left in the second half.
During that stretch, Miles was held to 2-of-9 shooting from the field, going over three minutes without scoring a point. Meanwhile, Clark Atlanta got hot hitting five of their seven shot attempts, including two three-pointers.
However, Clark Atlanta was unable to take the lead as Miles fought back, as the Golden Bears held them off on their way to victory.