CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Head men's basketball coach Leon Douglas believes stiff non-conference competition gets his team prepared for the rigors of conference play. In the past, it has meant some lopsided early-season losses. But if Saturday's 86-79 defeat to West Georgia at Walker Arena is any indication, the Golden Bears might find themselves in the thick of the championship mix come season's end.

Miles (0-1) erased a double-digit deficit in the first half and briefly held the lead in the second half. But with the game tied at 54 six minutes into the second half, the Wolves (1-0) scored 10 unanswered points to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Golden Bears would get as close as five a couple of times inside the final 70 seconds but were unable to complete another comeback.

Bradley Nero came off the bench to score 16 points and grab 15 rebounds while starters Carl Garcia (15 points) and Sheldon Wright (14 points) had solid initial efforts for Miles, which overcame a slow start shooting to finish at 44 percent from the field, 50 percent over the final 20 minutes.

The Golden Bears missed 10 of their first 15 shots and quickly found themselves in a 21-9 hole less than seven minutes into the first half. But even when the team finally got to going, which included a seven-point streak from Nathan Sheffield (nine points) that featured a rim-rocking alley oop from Wright and a 3-pointer, West Georgia had even more answers. The Wolves led by as many as 13 in the first half before settling for a 42-35 lead at the break.

Miles came out hot to start the second half. Damian Archer started the run with a 3-point play and Nero and Gargia would take over from there. A layup by Nero less than two minutes into the period gave the Golden Bears their first lead, 45-44. The teams would alternate baskets but when Garcia nailed a 3-pointer at the 14:13 mark, the game was tied at 54. But turnovers on three straight possessions allowed UWG to reopen a double-digit lead and Miles was not able to recover.

West Georgia's Marquill Smith led all scorers with 27 points. Archer had eight points, three rebounds and three assists and D.J. Mitchell added six points for Miles, which plays Lee Sunday at 3 p.m.