BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Miles head coach Leon Douglas said that he was not expecting Fort Valley State to shoot the ball from the outside as well as it Monday afternoon in the opening game of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.

But for one 3-minute stretch in the second half, the Wildcats exploded from deep, draining five consecutive 3-pointers that blew open a tight game en route to an 88-82 win over the Golden Bears at Bill Harris Arena. The loss ends the season for Miles (7-20) while FVSU advances to the quarterfinals to play Morehouse. Seniors Carl Garcia (24 points) and Sheldon Wright (21 points) carried the offensive load for the Golden Bears in their final game but it was not enough to avert defeat. 

The game went-back-and-forth in the first half with Fort Valley leading 30-28 through the first 20 minutes. But Wright scored five points in five seconds to put Miles ahead. The senior guard knocked down a jumper, was fouled, missed the free throw, and after Robert Jones (three points, 10 rebounds) corralled the rebound, hit Wright for the 3-ball to give the team a 33-30 advantage.

An offensive putback by Nathan Sheffield (nine points, eight rebounds) gave Miles a 37-34 lead two minutes into the second half before things began to fall apart. The Golden Bears would miss 10 of their next 11 shots over the ensuing eight minutes while the Wildcats could seemingly not miss. Ahead by two, FVSU would drain 3-pointers on five of their next seven possessions. Jamaal Garror (27 points) would knock down the first two - one of which turned into a four-point play - and Tyler Edwards (24 points) would sandwich a Jaylen McMillian (16 points) 3, the last coming with 10:24 remaining to give the Wildcats a 56-41 lead.

Things did not get much better from there for Miles. Wright, the team's leading scorer this season,  fouled out with just less than eight minutes to play. Garcia took over from there, scoring 22 of his 24 points in the second half, many from the charity stripe (15-of-17). But the Wildcats were just as adept from the free throw line, making 15-of-18 over the final three minutes to secure the victory.