FULLERTON – Nicole Chuang scored a season-high 24 points and Natalie Acuna added a career-best 16 to lead the Hope International women's basketball team to a 78-64 win against Grace College (Ind.) in the opening game of the HIU Holiday Classic on Wednesday at Darling Pavilion.
Chuang exploded for 17 of her 24 points in the fourth period as the Royals turned a close game into a double-digit triumph. The junior guard hit four three-pointers and made all six of her free throw attempts, helping the Royals improve to 7-3 on the season.
Acuna canned a career-high four triples and chipped in a career-best nine rebounds in 28 minutes. Aliyah Gonzalez contributed 13 points, two blocked shots and two steals, while Amira Austin grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Royals sank a season-best 14 three-pointers and held the Lancers to 2 of 24 shooting from distance, offsetting a season-high 20 turnovers.
HIU also went 10 for 10 at the foul line.
Tied at 33-33 going into halftime, the Royals connected for four threes – one apiece from Gonzalez, Chuang, Jada Long and Acuna – to take a 45-40 lead with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter. Two Acuna free throws opened up a 51-44 edge, but Morganne Houk cut the deficit to three on a traditional three-point play, drawing a foul on a layup and converting the free throw.
Dre Javier slithered inside for a layup with four ticks on the clock to give HIU a 53-47 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
The Lancers whittled the deficit to as little as four points on two occasions, but Chuang facilitated an 8-1 run after swishing a pair of threes. That outfitted the Royals with a 63-52 lead at the 6:39 mark. Chuang drained another triple with 4:13 to go to hand the Royals a 68-56 lead.
The Royals held Grace to 6 of 19 shooting in the fourth quarter, including 0 of 9 from three-point range.
Chuang is averaging 19.5 points over her last four games. She has made 16 of her 25 threes on the season over that same span.
The Lancers fell to 7-6 on the season.
HIU concludes the HIU Holiday Classic on Wednesday with a 1:00 p.m. tip against Cal Maritime.
