SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – CJ Fisher and Nick Hopkins made key defensive plays in the waning seconds, and Hope International's physical brand of basketball pushed the nation's 14th-ranked team to an important 75-74 victory against The Master's on Tuesday at the MacArthur Center.

Neither team led by more than six points in a closely contested game. The Royals tallied 15 more free throw attempts thanks to a punishing interior attack. HIU shot just 58.1 (18 of 31) percent from the charity stripe, but TMU took just 16 foul shots, making 12.

A layup from Aman Haynes gave the Royals a 75-74 lead with 36 seconds remaining. The Royals tightened on defense, getting a Hopkins steal with 22 ticks left. Although Hopkins – who took 19 free throw attempts for the game – missed both attempts following an Avery Jackson foul, the Royals denied TMU's next go-ahead opportunity as Fisher emphatically swatted away a Quincy Phillips attack to the basket with six seconds remaining.

TMU's Jazen Guillory bobbled the ensuing inbounds pass, and Hopkins batted the loose ball toward mid court. Precious seconds ticked off from the deflection, forcing Tiago Soares into a desperation 40-foot heave at the buzzer.

The Royals led 40-36 at halftime despite shooting an incredible 66.7 (14 of 21) percent. The Mustangs shot 35.1 (13 of 37) percent in the first half but had the edge in made three-pointers (7-4).

Haynes had a huge second half for the Royals, scoring 14 of his 16 points on 6 of 6 shooting. He scored six consecutive points to give HIU a 54-51 lead. After TMU took a 59-58 lead on a Jackson basket, Haynes got inside again for a layup as HIU retook the one-point edge.

Hopkins scored a team-high 23 points, making 6 of 11 floor shots and 11 of 19 from the foul line. His 19 free throw attempts tied a career-high. He added a team-high tying eight rebounds, a blocked shot and three steals.

Darvelle Wyatt also had a big game, hitting 6 of 7 from the field for 17 points. He knocked down a pair of three-pointers to go along with seven rebounds and a steal.

HIU improved to 19-4 overall and 9-2 in the Great Southwest Athletic Conference, pulling within a half-game of league-leading TMU (17-7, 10-2 GSAC).

The Royals shot 57.8 (26 of 45) percent for the game.

Jackson led TMU with a game-high 24 points.

The Royals travel to Benedictine Mesa on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. (PT) game.