FULLERTON – Five players scored in double figures – led by 21 points from freshman Aman Haynes – and the No. 13 Hope International men's basketball team was outstanding at the free throw line in a hard fought 87-83 victory against Life Pacific on Saturday at Darling Pavilion.
The Royals won their fourth straight game to improve to 13-2 overall and 3-0 in Great Southwest Athletic Conference play. Four of HIU's last five wins have all come by four points or less, as the Royals continue to execute well down the stretch.
Haynes made 7 of 12 floor shots, including a pair of three-pointers, and registered his fifth 20-point performance. He has scored in double figures in 14 straight contests.
Senior Nick Hopkins added 17 points, four rebounds and a game-high tying five assists. He made 9 of 10 from the free throw line. Darvelle Wyatt added 15 points and a game-high seven rebounds, and he was 6 of 7 from the charity stripe.
CJ Fisher chipped in 12 points, three rebounds, one blocked shot and three steals, while Jorren Edmonds had 11 points and three steals.
The Royals shot 84.4 (27 of 32) percent on free throws to offset a strong shooting effort by the Warriors. Life Pacific shot 57.4 (31 of 54) percent overall, although the Royals were helped by just 6 of 18 three-point shooting from the visitors.
HIU also owned an 11-3 advantage in offensive rebounds, leading to a 14-4 edge in second chance points.
HIU also committed just seven turnovers, the second-fewest in a game this season.
After taking a 45-44 lead into the break, the Royals began the second half on a 10-2 run, six coming from Wyatt. He hit 1 of 2 free throws to give HIU a 55-46 lead with 16:08 to play.
Life Pacific responded by tallying nine straight points over the next three minutes to tie the score at 55-55.
Warrior reserve Albert Matute splashed a three with 9:41 remaining to give the visitors a 64-63 lead. Life Pacific built a five-point lead at 71-66, but the Royals answered with a 9-0 run, using an aggressive approach that resulted in five points at the foul line during the burst.
The back-and-forth battle continued as Jordan Dollar hit a three to hand a 76-75 lead back to the Warriors. Haynes notched two free throws to regain a one-point lead for the Royals, and followed that up with perhaps the biggest shot of the afternoon, a three-pointer with 3:15 to play.
Edmonds knocked down a jumper to provide HIU some much needed breathing room at 82-76. The Warriors twice cut the deficit to two, but Edmonds hit another jumper and Wyatt sank two clutch free throws to withstand the final push.
HIU was 17 of 21 at the foul line in the second half.
The Royals started the game leading 7-0, and led for a majority of the first half. The Royals widened the margin to 31-22 on a Haynes jumper with 8:38 remaining.
Dollar got hot for the Warriors, scoring nine points over a five-minute stretch as the Warriors took a 38-37 lead. Both teams exchanged points for several possessions, with Edmonds hitting a jumper to give the Royals a 45-44 halftime lead.
HIU returns to GSAC action on Tuesday, January 6 hosting The Master's at 7:30 p.m.
