The Dixie State men's basketball team earned its first Pacific West Conference victory of the season in dramatic fashion Saturday, defeating Point Loma 66-65 in San Diego, Calif.

The Storm (4-4, 1-1 PacWest) trailed 65-64 with 21 seconds remaining after PLNU forward Tanner Lancona scored on a pick-and-roll to give the Sea Lions the lead. Down one point, DSU needed a basket to win the game. Sophomore guard Trevor Hill (Sandy, Utah/Alta HS) ran the clock down to 10 seconds and made his move. Hill drove to the basket, hung in the air, and scooped a shot off the window. The shot rimmed out, but sophomore forward Kyler Nielson (Cedar City, Utah/Cedar HS) was there to score the winning tip-in basket with 4.3 seconds remaining. Point Loma guard Mike Planeta drove the length of the floor for a layup, but junior forward Josh Fuller (Rexburg, Idaho/Madison HS) blocked the attempt to seal the win for the Storm.

Like Thursday night at California Baptist, Dixie State jumped out to an early lead behind five points from senior guard Mason Sawyer (West Jordan, Utah/West Jordan HS). With five minutes gone by in the first half, DSU held its largest lead of the game at 12-3. And, like Thursday night at CBU, the home team responded.

Behind the outside shooting of guard Josh Rodriguez, Point Loma went on a 19-6 run over the next seven minutes to gain a 22-18 advantage. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half, and PLNU led 29-25 at the break.

The Storm battled back to tie the game on three different occasions in the second half, but each time the Sea Lions responded immediately to maintain the lead, converting on 3-pointers two different times. With 9:51 remaining in the game, PLNU held a 51-48 lead.

DSU took its first lead of the second half four minutes later on a layup from senior forward Mark Ogden. Sawyer then added his second trey of the game to give the Storm a 60-57 lead with 4:38 to play. The teams continued trading baskets until the final possession, when Nielson converted the game-winner.

"It was a gutty win, and I'm happy with it," head coach Jon Judkins said. "I challenged the guys today and told them that we needed to get at least a split on this trip. This league is very competitive. With these teams the games can go either way. We've got to keep getting better."

Dixie State shot 33 percent (26-of-77) from the field, 18 percent (2-of-11) from beyond the arc, and 60 percent (12-of-20) from the free throw line. Fuller (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Ogden (12 points, 17 rebounds) each finished with double-doubles, while Hill scored a team-high 16 points and Sawyer added 12 points.

Freshman forward Quincy Mathews (St. George, Utah/Desert Hills HS) totaled four points and three rebounds in a season-high 22 minutes of play, and sophomore forward Zac Hunter (American Fork, Utah/American Fork HS) finished with two points and eight rebounds. Nielson grabbed two rebounds to go with his game-winning basket.

The Storm returns home for an exhibition game on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time against Bristol University. The Bears participate in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.