It had been nearly a year since Miles last dropped a home men's basketball game. The previous defeat came at the hands of a late Tuskegee basket that helped secure a one-point victory. 

After 14 consecutive wins at Knox-Windham Gymnasium, it happened again.

The Golden Tigers got a three-point play after and offensive rebound and putback by Martez Jones with 1.6 seconds remaining to steal a 54-53 win over the Golden Bears on Saturday night. It was the second straight loss for Miles (12-5, 7-4 SIAC West), which has now lost three in-a-row to its in-state rivals.

There were four ties and four lead changes in the second half. Tuskegee (8-11, 7-6) led by as many as five points in the second half but when Alvin Miles (team-high 18 points, four rebounds, four assists) hit both of his free throws with 1:47 to go, the Golden Bears led 53-47. But then things started to unravel.

Jones came down for a quick score to cut into the deficit. The Golden Bears would turn it over on their next possession and Tuskegee capitalized, getting an offensive rebound and score from Jones to draw to within two points. Another Miles miss on the next possession set up the final sequence, where Tuskegee got two more offensive rebounds before Jones scored the tying bucket. After his free throw put the Golden Tigers in front, Miles heaved a shot from three-quarters court that had the distance but was off to the left.

Among the reasons to rue this defeat was that Miles held the lead for approximately 65 percent of the game. But Tuskegee beat Miles on the boards 39-32, including 13 offensive rebounds that led to 17 points. The Golden Bears also missed 4-of-6 free throws over the final six minutes that could have had an impact on the final outcome.

Tuskegee, which has now won five straight, was led by Jones (19 points, nine rebounds) and D'Anthony Pennington (12 points). Truitt Spencer (10 points), Elijah Horton (seven points, seven rebounds), and Chase Ballard (seven points, five rebounds, two steals) were among the top performers for Miles, which hosts Spring Hill Monday night in a battle for the SIAC Western Division lead. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.