FULLERTON – Hope International women's basketball led from start to finish in a 70-62 win against Benedictine Mesa in Great Southwest Athletic Conference action on Saturday inside Darling Pavilion.
The Royals claimed their eighth win in a row while improving to 11-3 overall, and remained undefeated in the GSAC at 5-0. The Redhawks fell to 9-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
Senior Amira Austin continued her stellar play, collecting a game-high tying 19 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for her fourth straight double-double and seventh overall on the season. Austin also her recorded her seventh consecutive game with double-digit rebounds, and is averaging 13.1 per game over that span.
Nicole Chuang added 16 points, hitting all seven of her free throw attempts. The Royals shot 90.5 (19 of 21) percent from the foul line for the game.
The third Royal in double figures was Aliyah Gonzalez with 10 points. She added a game-high five assists and two steals.
HIU utilized a solid first quarter start to set the tone for the game. The Royals led 14-4 after one quarter as the Redhawks struggled to 2 of 21 shooting.
The Royals forged their biggest lead of the game, 23-9, as Jamelia Coleman, Jada Long and Gonzalez collected three-pointers on three straight possessions. HIU took a 30-19 lead into halftime.
HIU pushed the lead back to 14, as Austin's jumper made it 38-24 with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter. BENU went on a 9-2 run, with a Shyla Moore jumper trimming the deficit to 44-37. The Redhawks trailed 49-41 heading into the fourth period.
Chuang put the Royals up 57-46 on a layup with 7:23 to go, but the Redhawks reeled off seven straight points to cut the deficit to four. Chuang drew a foul on a three-point attempt and knocked down all three freebies to give the Royals a 61-53 lead with 4:48 remaining.
But Olivia Arvallo got hot for the Redhawks, scoring nine straight points which included two triples. She brought the Redhawks within 65-62 on a three-point play with 36 seconds left.
Austin responded with a huge basket, putting the Royals up 67-62 with 30 ticks on the clock. Angelina DeLeon blocked a three-point attempt by Arvallo, and Austin got fouled after securing the rebound. She hit two free throws to give HIU a 69-62 lead with 19 seconds remaining.
HIU held BENU to 8 of 23 shooting in the fourth quarter, including just 3 of 13 from distance. The Royals made 13 of 15 free throws to help close out the contest.
The Royals head to the Grand Canyon state next week, facing Arizona Christian on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
