Bank of Mart pays dividend in overtime win over Philander Smith for Gold Rush

#SCTOP10 Rayshawn Mart @_rayshawnmart of Xavier University of Louisiana @xulagold @XULA1925 with the winning bucket against Philander Smith College in Overtime 60-58. pic.twitter.com/BcOMmq7nnz

— Coach AJ Williams (@CoachAJWMS) February 20, 2018

NEW ORLEANS — Freshman Rayshawn Mart’s off-balance bank shot at the buzzer in overtime Monday gave NAIA No. 22 Xavier University of Louisiana a 60-58 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men’s basketball victory against Philander Smith.

The Gold Rush (20-7, 7-3) outscored the Panthers (12-12, 5-5) 7-0 in the final 2 1/2 minutes. The XULA men are 6-0 in overtime in Alfred Williams’s two seasons as head coach.

Mart led the Rush with 14 points and nine rebounds. Jeff Dixon had 13 points and five assists — he passed to Mart for the winning shot — and Joseph Williams, Jalen David and Galen Smith scored eight apiece.

Ernest Maize had 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and four steals for Philander Smith. Tyson Oliver scored 13, and his 3-pointer at 3:19 of overtime gave the Panthers a 58-53 advantage. But they committed four turnovers thereafter, including a backcourt travel after a defensive rebound with 20 seconds remaining.

The teams were tied at 28 at halftime and 53 at the end of regulation. Maize’s basket with 54 seconds remaining was the final score of the second half, then both teams missed 3-pointers.

The Gold Rush, 10-20 a year ago, reached 20 victories for the seventh time in eight seasons. XULA’s 32 seasons of 20-or-more victories are the most in the history of Louisiana men’s college basketball.

XULA can earn at least a share of the GCAC regular-season championship by winning its final two games this month, starting with a 5 p.m. Saturday home matchup with Tougaloo at the Convocation Center.