Mart’s dunk with 3 seconds left beats No. 10 Crusaders

NEW ORLEANS — Rayshawn Mart’s offensive rebound and dunk with three seconds remaining lifted Xavier University of Louisiana to a 74-73 victory against William Carey in a matchup of ranked NAIA men’s basketball teams.

The Gold Rush (4-0), ranked 23rd, defeated a top-10 opponent for the first time since March 2016. The Crusaders (1-1) are ranked 10th.

Mart, a sophomore, scored his second career game-winner after Branden Sheppard blocked teammate Ed Carter’s layup. The Crusaders’ Adrian Williams missed a desperation shot from midcourt as time expired.

Johnell Lane made five 3-pointers and scored 21 points for XULA. Carter scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and Mart and William Loyd scored 11 apiece. Mart led the Gold Rush with five rebounds and six assists.

Sheppard, Anthony Jones and Brandon Cranford combined to make 21-of-27 from the floor and score 56 points for William Carey. Sheppard and Jones scored 19 points apiece, and Cranford made 6-of-8 3-pointers for 18 points. Sheppard grabbed 12 rebounds.

William Carey led 38-33 at halftime. Both teams had eight-point leads in the second half. Cranford’s 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining gave the Crusaders a 73-72 lead and capped an 11-2 run.

Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the floor. XULA made 11 3-pointers for the third consecutive game.