Free throws decide a lot of basketball contests, but not quite like they did Thursday night when Miles hosted Tuskegee at Knox-Windham Gymnasium..

The Golden Bears held a double-digit lead with less than five minutes to go but proceeded to miss 4-of-7 free throws down the stretch. The Golden Tigers would come all the way back and was one free throw from tying the game...but missed it. That allowed Miles to escape with a 61-59 win.

Carl Garcia scored a game-high 21 points -- his highest scoring output in more than a month -- to pace the Golden Bears (6-15, 5-9 SIAC West). James Eads had 17 points to lead Tuskegee (4-19, 2-12), which has lost five of its last six.

Miles used a 7-0 run midway through the first half to take the lead for good. Chris English and Sheldon Wright hit 3-pointers as part of a 10-0 run to end the half that gave the Golden Bears a 33-21 advantage. Tuskegee started the second half with an 8-2 spurt, punctuated by a Thomas Myles 3-pointer that brought the Golden Tigers to within six points inside the first three minutes of the half. But for the most part, Miles had control of the game, leading by as many as 12 points when Jeffrey Dockett scored with six minutes to go.

But Miles struggled from the free throw line all game, making just 10-of-23 attempts. Even Damian Archer, the most consistent of the Golden Bears from the charity stripe this season, had trouble, making just 2-of-7. He twice missed the front end of a 1-and-1, giving Tuskegee life. After a rebound went through two Miles player on a missed shot, Eads was the lucky recipient of the loose ball and he drilled a clutch 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to cut the Miles lead to 59-58.

Wright would split a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession and Tuskegee attacked the basket and got fouled on the play. Travis Flagg would go to the line to tie the game but after making the first shot, he missed the second. Robert Jones, who is shooting under 50 percent from the line, would split two free throws on an ensuing foul. A last-second half-court heave by Cam Grepke missed wildly and the Golden Bears escaped with the two-point win.

Myles had 16 points and Flagg added 14 for Tuskegee. Dockett had 15 points, Wright scored 10 points, and Jones added seven points and 11 rebounds for Miles. The two schools will meet again on Saturday in Tuskegee. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.