FULLERTON – Nicole Chuang and Amira Austin each tallied a game-high 18 points to spur the Hope International women's basketball team to a 76-64 victory over Simpson on Thursday at Darling Pavilion.
The Royals registered their first win of the season to improve to 1-2. The Red Hawks fell in their season opener.
Austin led all players with 14 rebounds to earn a double-double, the 17th of her career. She also moved into a tie for eighth place on the HIU career rebounds list with 577, alongside Gina Atkins (1988-92). The forward hit 8 of 14 floor shots to go along with four assists, four blocked shots and a pair of steals.
Chuang hit 7 of 13 from the floor, including four three-pointers, and also dished out four assists.
The third Royal to post double-digit points was N'Dya Parks, who finished with 11. She yanked down 13 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action for her first career double-double.
The Royals dished out 18 assists, led by a game-high five from Andrea Javier.
HIU overcame a sluggish start to the game, falling behind 10-0 five minutes into its home opener. The Royals did not score their first points until the 5:04 mark of the first quarter when Austin sank two free throws. HIU's first field goal did not occur until Aaliyah Perez-Sandi buried a three-pointer with 3:45 remaining, cutting the Red Hawks lead to 12-5.
However, the Royals stiffened on defense and held the Red Hawks to just two points over the final 4:39, outscoring the visitors 15-2 to grab a 17-14 lead after one period.
Chuang led the Royals with seven points in the second quarter, helping her team to a 39-32 lead going into halftime.
The Royals took control in the third quarter, building their biggest lead of 17 points at 56-39 on Austin's layup with 3:35 remaining. HIU shot 50.0 (8 of 16) percent in the period to open up a 58-45 lead through three.
Simpson lowered the deficit to nine at 62-53 on a traditional three-point play by Monet Dunham, but Chuang immediately boosted the HIU lead back to 12 on her fourth three-pointer of the evening. Parks scored seven points in the fourth as HIU coasted to the 12-point victory.
HIU shot 45.2 (28 of 62) percent for the game, including 10 of 31 from distance. The Royals held the Red Hawks to just 1 of 11 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
The Royals take on their second nationally ranked opponent of the season, hosting No. 23 Oregon Tech on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
