FULLERTON – Hope International women's basketball went without a field goal over the final five-plus minutes, suffering a narrow 57-55 loss against Southern Oregon on Monday at Darling Pavilion.

The Royals took a 53-51 lead on an Amira Austin layup with 5:45 remaining, but missed their final seven shots and committed three turnovers.

Bridgette McIntyre, who led the Raiders with a game-high tying 18 points, hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 4:55 remaining. The Raiders leaned on their defense to close out the game, as the Royals misfired on six three-point attempts down the stretch.

Trailing 57-55, HIU had a chance to tie the game or take the lead with 1.3 seconds remaining, but the Royals threw the ball away on the inbounds pass.

It was a tough night shooting-wise for both teams. Southern Oregon shot just 31.1 (19 of 61) percent, while HIU managed 35.0 (21 of 60) percent efficiency. 

Lydia Traore posted a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double, with six of her caroms on the offensive end. That helped the visitors earn a 15-5 edge in second chance points.

Nicole Chuang scored 11 of her 13 first half points in the second quarter to help the Royals build a 32-30 halftime lead. Chuang tied for game-high scoring honors with 18 points, hitting three triples and going a perfect 5 of 5 from the free throw line.

Jada Long posted her second straight double-digit scoring performance, finishing with 12 points. Chuang and Long knocked down five of the team's six three-pointers.

The Royals built leads of five points and 41-36 and 43-38 in the third quarter, but the Raiders used an 11-0 run to take a 49-43 lead late in the period. Traore had a role in all of those points, scoring five of her own and yanking down an offensive rebound that led to subsequent three-pointers on two other occasions.

HIU is now 3-3 on the season, with all three losses coming to Cascade Collegiate Conference opponents. Southern Oregon improved to 5-3 on the year.

The Royals are next in action in their GSAC home opener, hosting OUAZ on Saturday, December 6 at noon.