BIRMINGHAM -- It took a while for Miles to get its offense going Wednesday afternoon in its SIAC Championship opener against Tuskegee. But when you have the nation's best defense performing at peak levels, it does not put your season in peril.

Nathan Sheffield came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points and Miles held Tuskegee to 24 percent shooting from the field in securing a 54-39 win at Bill Harris Arena. With the win, the Golden Bears (19-8) move into the semifinals, where they will play the winner of Thursday's Albany State-Lane contest on Friday at 3:15 p.m. Tuskegee ends its season at 13-16.

Neither team was able to score the ball early. The score was tied at 4 after the first 11 minutes before the offenses began to thaw. Miles took the lead for good on a tip-in by Devonte Fuller (11 points, six rebounds) with 5:25 left in the first half. But it was back-to-back 3-pointers by Sheffield that really got the Golden Bears going. A layup by Damian Archer (six points, three steals) with 30 seconds remaining had the lead at 10 points before settling for a 21-14 halftime advantage.

Miles did not allow a basket for more than six minutes to start the first half and nearly repeated the feat in the second half, keeping Tuskegee off the board for the first 5:32. During that time, the Golden Bears extended their lead to 13 points on an emphatic one-hand slam by LaByron Harris (10 points, six rebounds, three blocks). The Golden Tigers cut the deficit to five points with just under seven minutes to go. But a 10-2 run, capped by Sheffield's fourth 3-pointer of the game, put an end to any comeback hopes. Miles would lead by as many as 17 points late in the half.

Myles Thomas scored 11 points to lead Tuskegee. Jelani Watson-Gayle had seven points, a game-high nine rebounds, and three assists, and Jose Roman-Angueria had four points and eight rebounds for Miles.