Miles downs Tuskegee for fifth straight win
Box Score TUSKEGEE, Ala. --
Joshua Samuels and
Shaquille Cook carried Miles early but it was
Willie Gray who helped shut the door for the Golden Bears Monday night as they defeated rival Tuskegee 76-71 at Chappie James Arena.
Gray scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in just 11 minutes but it was his play in the last minute that helped the Golden Bears (13-9, 11-2 SIAC) complete a perfect four-game road trip and grabbed their fifth consecutive victory. It also sets up a huge battle with red-hot Stillman for first place Thursday night at Knox-Windham Gymansium.
After
Eric Halliwell (nine points, six rebounds) gave Miles a 72-71 lead with 1:20 to go, Gray grabbed the rebound on the 3-point miss by Tuskegee's Elijah McMillian. After
E. Reginald Smalls (eight points, three rebounds) missed on the other end, Gray came out of a mad scramble for the offensive rebound and got an easy layup to push the Miles advantage to three points. After another Golden Tigers miss, Gray was fouled and he calmly knocked down two free throws to seal the victory.
While Gray was the finisher for Miles, Tuskegee (10-9, 6-6) had a tough time stopping the duo of Samuels and Cook for most of the game. Cook, who played at Tuskegee for head coach
Leon Douglas before following him to Miles, scored 16 points and grabbed 10 boards in his homecoming trip. His rebound and put back with 3:45 gave the Golden Bears a 68-65 lead. But it was Samuels who had the hit hand for most of the contest, especially when it looked like the Golden Tigers were set to pull away in the second half.
The game was tied at 28 at halftime and stayed tight early in the second half. But Tuskegee built a 55-50 lead midway through the final 20 minutes and was ready to extend the lead. But Samuels completed a 3-point play to momentarily slow down the Golden Tigers, who would then build a 65-57 advantage inside of eight minutes. The junior guard had more shots in his arsenal, knocking down 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to bring Miles within 65-63. He finished with a game-high 23 points.
Joshua Culver had 18 points and 10 rebounds to pace Tuskegee while
Maiscei Grier added 10 points for Miles.
