ATLANTA -- Three games, three exciting finishes for Miles' men's basketball team.

After dropping the first two games of the season despite holding the lead with less than two minutes in both of them, the Golden Bears were finally able to shut the door defensively down the stretch. Clark Atlanta was unable to convert on its last four possessions and Miles - which trailed by 15 points in the second half - left Epps Gymnasium with a 56-53 win Saturday afternoon.

Jelani Watson-Gayle had 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals for Miles (1-2, 1-0 SIAC West), which earned its first win for new head coach Fred Watson and got its first win at CAU (1-5, 0-1 SIAC East) since the 2015-16 campaign. The Golden Bears controlled the boards and held the Panthers to less than 36 percent shooting from the field, including just 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) over the final eight minutes of the game.

CAU blitzed the Golden Bears at the start, scoring the first 12 points of the contest. Miles would cut the deficit to two points but made just two baskets over the final 6:38 of the first half to trail 29-17 at the break. Jalen Mitchell hit a 3-pointer coming out of the break to give the Panthers a 15-point lead, and when he connected on another triple with 16:18 left, Miles trailed 37-23.

But from there, the Golden Bears began to make their move. Watson-Gayle scored five straight points and Jose Roman-Angueria (11 points, six rebounds) had back-to-back buckets as part of a 9-0 run that got Miles back in the game. At the 4:18 mark, Damian Archer (11 points, five assists) knocked down two free throws to tie the game at 47, and after a CAU bucket helped it regain the lead, Nathan Sheffield (eight points, five rebounds, four steals) drained a 3-pointer to give Miles its first lead, 50-49, with 3:42 remaining.

Miles would not lose the lead but that did not eradicate the drama at the end. With a chance to put the game on ice, the Golden Bears missed 3-of-5 free throws to leave an opening for Clark Atlanta. But the Panthers could not take advantage, with Mitchell (14 points, 12 rebounds) missing a 3-pointer at the horn that could have tied the game.

Austin Donaldson (14 points) and Shelvick Henry (13) were among the top scorers for the Panthers. Devante Fuller added nine points and seven rebounds for Miles, which plays at Morehouse Monday at 6 p.m.