After climbing out of a 15-point hole Monday night against Fort Valley State, Miles found itself in another double-digit hole in the second half on Wednesday against Delta State.

Good thing the Golden Bears had some practice at big second-half comebacks.

Down by 10 midway through the second half, Miles scored 13 unanswered points while turning the screws on defense to earn a tight 52-46 win over the Statesmen at Knox-Windham Gymnasium. The win was the fourth straight for the Golden Bears (7-3) and it avenged a season-opening loss to DSU (7-4).

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half and went to the break tied at 23. But Justin Slocum went to work in the paint and Brett Warner and Matthew Wilson knocked down a few shots from the perimeter to give the Statesmen a 40-30 lead with 12:25 remaining. That's when the top defense in the country went to work.

Miles did not allow Delta State to get off a shot for more than five minutes and not make a shot from the field for nearly eight minutes. While the Statesmen turned the ball over on seven consecutive possessions, the Golden Bears quickly got back into the ball game. Jeffrey Dockett knocked down two big baskets, including a 3-pointer, that cut the deficit to a single point. On the next possession, Robert Jones (four points, five rebounds) - who entered the game at the start of the run and kept DSU off the glass and out of the paint - took a sweet dish from Dockett for a layup to give Miles a 41-40 lead with 8:26 to go. DSU would never retake the lead.

Over the final 12 minutes, Miles allowed just two field goals and held Delta State under 35 percent shooting from the field. While DSU had a couple of chances to tie or retake the lead but did not convert, the Golden Bears were able to stick the dagger in the Statesmen when Damian Archer nailed a rainbow jumper as he was fouled with 44 seconds remaining to push the lead to five points. Miles would convert on 3-of-4 four free throws to finish the contest.

Warner (11 points) and Slocum (10 points, eight rebounds) were the top scorers for Delta State. Dockett (14 points, three assists), Devonte Fuller (10 points) and Jose Roman-Angueria (seven points, five rebounds, two assists) paced the Golden Bears, who next play Jackson State in an exhibition contest on Dec. 29. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.