COLUMBIA, S.C. – A cold second half for the Benedict College Tigers caused them to fall to Miles College 76-63 on Saturday afternoon in the SIAC opener for both schools.

Benedict drops to 3-5 overall and 0-1 in the SIAC. Miles College, the defending SIAC champions, improves to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the SIAC.

Joseph Staton led the Tigers with 23 points, shooting 5-5 from the three-point line, while Deon Joyner added 14 points and five rebounds.

Staton erupted in the first half, scoring all 23 of his points before halftime. Benedict fell behind 24-12 with 4:49 remaining in the first half. A 20-9 run by the Tigers, led by Staton, brought Benedict within one, 33-32, heading into the break.

The Tigers would jump out to a seven-point lead, 48-41, with 12:47 left in the game. Miles would go on an 11-0 run to take a 52-48 lead with 9:32 remaining. The Golden Bears would outscore the Tigers 24-15 in the final nine minutes of the game to seal the deal.

Benedict will host LeMoyne-Owen College on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the HRC Arena.