Thursday, November 24, 2016

Miles Golden Bears Upsets No. 16 West Georgia, 74-69

FAIRFIELD, Alabama -- Two weeks ago, West Georgia throttled Miles by more than 30 points and the Golden Bears did not look like a team that could cause the Wolves much trouble.

But since then, the Golden Bears have seen a quick maturation and added a few pieces to the roster. With chef Leon Douglas adding some new ingredients and seasoning, the Golden Bears have started to cook. On Tuesday night, it was UWG in the broiler and Miles ate well, racing out to a double figure lead in the second half before holding on for a 74-69 win over 16th-ranked West Georgia.

Freshman KeAndre Swopes scored a team-high 15 points while the Golden Bears (2-3) forced 17 turnovers and held UWG (3-1) under 40 percent shooting from the field to en route to a second straight win.

Aaron Jones, playing in his first game of the season, scored seven points, grabbed seven rebounds, and gave Miles a big boost with his work in the paint in the first half. The second half saw Javier McKinney and Chauncey Day (10 points each) attack the UWG defense while Josh Johnson - who did not play in the first matchup between the two teams - steadied the team from the point guard spot. He finished with six points, six rebounds, and five assists.

But it was Swopes who gave the Golden Bears a big edge in the second half. He scored nine of Miles' first 11 points in the second half, all before the 16-minute media time out, that gave the team a 50-40 advantage. Day would score the next six points - two on a fast break dunk - that helped the team to a 56-42 lead, its biggest of the game. West Georgia would get as close as three points ate but Miles would knock down 4-of-6 free throws to seal the victory.

BOX SCORE

MILES COLLEGE GOLDEN BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION

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