FULLERTON – The 20th-ranked Hope International men's basketball team erased a 13-point second half deficit to take a late lead, but could not complete the comeback in a 74-70 loss to Carroll College in the 2026-27 season opener on Saturday from Darling Pavilion.
Senior Jacob Harper poured in 15 of his team-high 20 points to spur the furious second half rally. Harper was one of four players making his Royals debut in the starting lineup, and the Saint Martin's transfer finished the game shooting 9-of-16 overall to go along with two rebounds and four assists.
Carroll College guard Drew Jones countered though by scoring all 20 of his points in the second half to help the visitors withstand the late HIU push. Isaac Round scored a game-high 23 points for the Fighting Saints (2-0), which shot 40.9 (9-of-22) percent from three-point range.
HIU forwards Chinedu Nwankwo and Jason Hilliard also had productive debuts with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Hilliard and Addy G'Bye each had a team-high four steals.
Jones made a layup with 9:38 remaining to open up a 54-41 lead – the 13-point advantage the largest of the game for Carroll – as HIU struggled to find any offensive rhythm.
But the Royals fought back, going on a 19-3 run to take a 60-57 lead with just over five minutes remaining. Harper had seven points during the burst, in addition to a pair of buckets from Jaedon Anderson.
Nwankwo gave HIU its last lead of 62-60 with a basket at the 4:40 mark.
Jones and Round knocked down key three-pointers for the Fighting Saints, and a Jones layup gave the visitors a 70-66 lead with 25 seconds remaining. Harper raced the length of the floor twice for layups to keep HIU within two, but Carroll hit four straight free throws down the stretch to hold off the charging Royals.
HIU overcame a slow start in the first half after trailing 16-10. Harper and Hilliard sank threes to spark a 10-0 run as HIU led 20-16, and the advantage grew to 25-18 following a Devin Payne jumper.
The Royals led 33-26 with less than three minutes remaining before halftime, but went scoreless the rest of the way. Carroll capitalized on the opportunity with nine straight points – six from Nate Christy – going into the locker room with a 35-33 lead.
G'Bye led the Royals with five assists and did not commit a turnover in 33 minutes of action.
The Royals return to action on Wednesday, hosting Bethesda for a 6:00 p.m. game.
