FULLERTON – Hope International and Park Gilbert engaged in one of the most entertaining and prolific scoring games in the national landscape on Saturday at Darling Pavilion, splurging for a combined 237 points where shot making was on full display.

Fortunately, the No. 9-ranked Royals were on the right side of the 120-117 men's basketball overtime victory, snapping a brief two-game skid to improve to 16-4 overall and 6-2 in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference.

The win didn't come without some tense hand wringing, as the Royals had to overcome a hot shooting Buccaneers squad that led by as many as 11 points with six minutes remaining in regulation.

Park Gilbert knocked down 16 three-pointers, shooting 48.5 (16 of 33) percent from distance and 53.1 (43 of 81) percent from the floor overall.  The Royals shot an identical 43 of 81 from the field, hitting 11 threes in 26 attempts. The Royals were able to win the battle at the free throw line, going 23 of 34 overall compared to 15 of 19 for the Buccaneers.

There were several standout individual performances from both sides. 

Addy G'Bye led HIU with a career-high 33 points. He shot 12 of 25 overall with seven triples, while adding a career-best nine rebounds, a block and a steal. CJ Fisher and Nick Hopkins each provided matching 25 point and eight rebound lines, with the defensive stalwart Fisher adding three blocked shots and three steals.

Aman Haynes continued to be a force on the inside for HIU, scoring 23 points on 9 of 16 shooting. It was his seventh 20-point game and 19th straight contest with double-digit points. The freshman forward ranks fifth in the GSAC in scoring at 16.1 points per game.

The HIU foursome combined for 106 of the team's 120 points.

For the Buccaneers, Toate Sika poured in 28 points on 11 of 18 shooting, corralling a game-high 14 rebounds. Teammate Mahlik Lindsey added 26 points while knocking down five threes. Four other Buccaneers joined Sika and Lindsey in double figures, with Tanner Pate contributing 16 points.

After falling behind 7-0 in the opening moments of the game, HIU eventually took its first lead at 14-11 following a G'Bye three. The Royals built a 24-16 lead on a Hopkins layup.

But Park Gilbert made 10 threes in the first half – with six different players hitting from deep – and the Buccaneers regained the lead at 41-39 with 5:12 left. Luke Olmstead canned a triple to put Park Gilbert up by six, 47-41, but the Royals knotted the score at 47-47 after G'Bye tallied five straight points.

Fisher threw down a dunk and drew the foul, completing the three-point play for a 52-50 HIU lead. Fisher got to the line again with less than a minute remaining in the half, making both free throws as the Royals went into halftime with a 54-52 lead.

Lindsey hit back-to-back triples to hand the Buccaneers a 75-69 lead, but the Royals used their inside game to pull within 77-76 as Hopkins converted another layup.

The Royals trailed 88-85 when Park Gilbert went on an 8-0 run – getting treys from Pate and Sika as well as a Lindsey layup – and led by 11 points at the 6:23 mark. HIU still trailed by 10 as two Issac Wood free throws gave the Buccaneers a 101-91 cushion with 4:19 to go.

But HIU buckled down, chopping seven points off the deficit in a minute. G'Bye's layup made it 101-98, and Haynes tied the score at 103-103 on a jumper.

Both teams had two opportunities to make the winning basket over the final minute and a half, but to no avail. G'Bye made a terrific defensive play to tie up Lindsey with 10 seconds remaining, giving the Royals the ball on alternate possession.

Jorren Edmonds missed a jumper at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

HIU outscored the visitors 17-14 in the extra period, as G'Bye canned back-to-back threes to give the Royals a 109-106 lead. Fisher hit a huge three with 3:04 to go to extend the lead to 116-109, and Haynes made it 118-110 on a strong inside move.

The Royals out rebounded the Buccaneers 10-2 in overtime, pulling down seven offensive rebounds.

HIU hosts La Sierra on Tuesday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m.