Eugene, OR- Friday night, The Hope International Men's Basketball Team (5-2) fought hard but lost to the Bushnell University Beacons in a closely contested match up that saw a dramatic conclusion in the final minuets.

The Royals opened the scoring at the start of the game with a layup by Josh Hardiman. The Beacons quickly responded with a three-point play, converting at the free-throw line. Nick Hopkins answered for the Royals with two made free throws after a shooting foul, giving them a 4-3 lead with 19:07 left in the half. The Beacons then tested the Royals' defense with a quick scoring run, extending their lead to 13-6 and forcing a Royals timeout at the 16:56 mark. Coming out of the timeout, the Royals began chipping away at their opponents lead. A defensive block by Hardiman set up a three-pointer from Grant Sii, narrowing the gap to 13-11 with 15:18 left in the half. However, the Beacons countered with a three-pointer of their own, widening their lead once again. In the final minutes of the first half, the Royals gained momentum. A tip-in by the Royals, Sebastian Castro, at the 3:27 mark, cut the Beacons' lead to 39-31. As the clock wound down, the Royals pulled even closer. A clutch three-pointer from Sii was followed by a breakaway layup from Hopkins, bringing the Royals within five points. The Beacons, however, answered with another three-pointer at the buzzer closing the half with a 47-39 lead and sending the Royals into halftime trailing by eight.

The Royals began the second half trailing the Beacons but quickly found their momentum. Despite the Beacons' aggressive defense, Aaron Wadman opened the scoring in the second half with a jumper cutting the Beacon's lead to six points at 41-47. Moments later, a block by CJ Fisher on the defensive end led to Wadman sinking two free throws after drawing a shooting foul. A steal by Josh Hardiman set up a three pointer from Grant Sii, assisted by Wadman, bringing the Royals within one point with 18:39 remaining. The Beacons responded with a three-pointer but Hopkins answered with a layup to keep the Royals close at 48-50 with 17:39 left to play. From there, the teams traded leads until the 8:28 mark, when Hardiman scored a layup off a steal by Castro, tying the game at 66-66. Moments later, Hardiman's second layup gave the Royals their first lead of the half at 68-66 with 7:56 remaining. The Beacons quickly reclaimed the lead with a three-pointer, but Hopkins tied the game again with a free throw at 7:15. The game remained close as both teams exchanged baskets. With just 5:06 left, Castro gave the Royals a 76-74 lead with a layup. However the Beacons capitalized on their double bonus opportunities and regained the lead extending it to 80-76 with 3:39 remaining. The Royals called a timeout with 1:28 left to regroup. With a crucial layup, Wadman brought the Royals within one point at 81-82 with under 50 seconds left to play. Despite the Royals' late efforts, the Beacons' sharp shooting provided too much to overcome, and the Royals fell short in the final moments. 

The Royals continue their season on the road in Eugene, OR against the Corban University Warriors on Saturday November, 23.