HATTIESBURG, Miss. --- Junior Xavion Dillon converted a beautiful pass from freshman Dyllan Taylor into a dunk the final second as the Mississippi College men's basketball team grabbed a 75-74 win at William Carey in an exhibition game on Tuesday night in Clinton Gymnasium.

The Choctaws (3-3) were playing without four starters in their final exhibition game of the season, and Dillon took advantage by posting career-highs in points (27) and rebounds (15) in the victory.
 

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TURNING POINT
- With just :12.7 remaining in the contest, the Crusaders went to the free throw line for two shots with the game tied at 73-73. After a miss on the first shot, the Choctaws pulled the ball out of the net on the second free throw and Taylor slipped through the defense and found Dillon for the game-winning dunk.
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Choctaws were missing seniors Antonio Johnson and Stacey Mack and juniors Davy Fisher and Donovan Ham for the final exhibition contest of 2017-18.
- The Crusaders were the first team to establish a significant lead on the night and after a bucket by Quinton Williams with 11:45 remaining in the first half, they held their largest lead of the game at 17-10.
- The Choctaws would answer with a 9-0 run to grab the lead, capped by a three-pointer by junior Leito Holloway with 8:06 to go in the opening period.
- After pushing the lead out to as many as seven, MC would settle for a 33-29 advantage at the halftime break.
- The second half saw the game stay tight until the Choctaws used a 7-0 run to take a 57-50 lead with 12:16 remaining in the contest.
- The Crusaders would not go away, however, and when Troy Salvant hit a three-pointer with 3:22 to go, the MC lead was cut to 71-70.
- Carey would split a pair of free throws to tie the game, and then Dillon put the Choctaws back ahead by knocking down a couple and make the score 73-71.
- John Cornish, a former Delta State Statesmen, tied the game with 50 seconds remaining, setting up the final seconds of action.
- After the Choctaws had a couple of close looks at taking the lead, the Crusaders corralled the rebound and drew a foul to go to the line with just under 13 seconds to go.
- Following a miss and a make at the line, the Choctaws went the length of the floor and Taylor found Dillon for the game-winner.
 

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KEY STATS
- The Choctaws shot 46% (26-of-57) from the field and went 17-of-23 from the free throw line.
- MC would outrebound the Crusaders 46-33 and overcome 24 turnovers in the contest.
- Dillon was 8-of-14 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free throw line on his way to 27 points and 15 rebounds.
- Senior Otis Harvey tied a career-high with 20 points, hitting 4-of-8 three-pointers in the win.
- Sophomore Brandon Boston was also in double-figures with 12 points on the night.
- The Crusaders shot 42% (27-of-64) from the field but went just 9-of-29 from the three-point line.
- Carey scored 26 points off turnovers and outscored MC's bench, 33-16.
- Salvant led the Crusaders with 17 points, while Quinton Williams had a team-best six rebounds.
 

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NEXT UP
- The Choctaws will get back into Gulf South Conference play on Saturday when they host West Alabama at 7:30 p.m. The game has been moved to a later start time due to exams for Mississippi College students.
 

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Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
 
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
 
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.