Miles battled back twice to take home big road victories as it defeated Albany State 62-59 on Monday afternoon before taking down Fort Valley State 55-50 on Wednesday night. The Golden Bears had to hold on in a see-saw affair against the Golden Rams, then threw a late-game shutout to come from behind to beat the Wildcats. The wins made for four straight victories for the Golden Bears (10-3, 6-2 SIAC West).

MILES 62, ALBANY STATE 59

The Golden Bears trailed by eight points early in the second half but allowed just one field goal over a seven-minute stretch to reassume the lead. During that stretch, Yasim Hooker led the way offensively, scoring nine points during an 18-6 run. With the game tied, he knocked down a 3-pointer and followed it with a jumper to give Miles a 43-38 lead with 8:24 remaining.

From that point, there were three ties and three lead changes, the last coming on a bucket by Makai Vassell with 2:44 left that put Miles ahead 54-52. The Golden Bears would never trail again, going ahead by as many as six points late. Albany State cut the deficit to two points with nine seconds left but Eddie Smith split a pair of free throws and the Golden Rams did not get up a shot that would have tied the game.

Hooker had a game-high 18 points and added nine rebounds, Smith went for 15 points and Vassell added nine points and seven rebounds for the Golden Bears.

MILES 55, FORT VALLEY STATE 50

Miles led by as many as 16 points in the first half and held a 31-21 lead at intermission. But with 3:11 left in the contest, FVSU had just taken a one-point lead and appeared to have the momentum going down the stretch.

But for the final 3:11, the Wildcats scored nary a point as the Golden Bears defense put a quick end to Fort Valley State's valiant comeback attempt. After Miles had fallen behind, it came right back to take the lead when Rodney Battle connected on a short jumper in the lane. After forcing another miss on the defensive end, the Golden Bears ran down the clock and got another bucket from Battle (17 points, eight rebounds) late in the possession for a three-point advantage with 1:37 remaining.

Fort Valley State had the ball with 20 second remaining and a chance to tie, but Hooker (10 points, two steals) knocked the ball free and streaked down the court after the steal for an emphatic slam dunk with nine seconds left to seal the deal. 

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Miles travels to take on Lane on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.