Hattiesburg, Miss. - The LSUS Pilots men's basketball team won their third GCAC regular season championship in five seasons with a thrilling 79-76 victory over the William Carey Crusaders.

Josh Porter was the lone Pilot to register double-figures, finishing with a game-high 27 points.  Senior Travis Cash chipped in eight points, while pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds.

Junior Chris Gatlin provided the Pilots with a much needed spark from off the bench, scoring nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from the three-point line.

The Pilots shot a season-low 36% from the field and were just 19-for-32 from the free-throw line.  However, the Pilots defense kept them in the game with tenacious pressure, resulting in 25 William Carey turnovers which the Pilots converted into 27 points.

William Carey led 73-72 with 5:18 left to play after a made field goal by Derek Jarvis, but that would be the last field goal of the game for the Crusaders as the Pilots held them to just three points over the final five minutes.

With the Pilots leading by one and 16 seconds on the clock, Senior Jamon Morris stepped up and nailed two free throws to give the Pilots a 79-76 win.

LSUS (27-2, 16-2) will host a second round GCAC tournament game at the Dock on Wednesday night.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM with the opponent to be determined.