EUGENE, Ore. – Hope International women's basketball rode the momentum of a 14-0 fourth quarter run to carve out a 70-61 road victory over Bushnell on Saturday morning at the Morse Center.
The Royals finished their two-game roadtrip to the state of Oregon with a split, and return to California with a 2-1 record. The Beacons dropped to 0-3 on the season.
HIU and Bushnell headed to the fourth period knotted at 52-52, but the Beacons struck first with back-to-back buckets from Sabrina Flowers and Giorgia Medori.
But Amira Austin scored eight of her career-high and game-high 24 points during the clinching 14-0 burst, getting inside for a slew of layups. Natalie Acuna provided a bucket, and Aliyah Gonzalez hit four free throws as the Royals turned a 56-52 deficit into a 66-56 lead with 2:32 remaining in the game.
The Beacons cut their deficit to 66-61 on a Ayden Krupke three-pointer with 1:04 remaining, but Gonzalez and Dre Javier sealed the deal with four straight free throws during the final minute. Gonzalez was 6 of 6 from the foul line and HIU finished the game shooting 80.0 (20 of 25) percent on its freebies.
HIU led 35-32 at halftime despite Bushnell's hot shooting. The Beacons were 15 of 28 (53.6%) in the first half, although they made just 1 of 5 from distance. The Royals canned four threes in the first 20 minutes.
Bushnell heated up from beyond the arc in the third period, hitting five threes to help erase a 39-32 deficit. Krupke hit three triples and Flowers added another as the Beacons pulled to within 46-44 midway through the third. Bushnell took a 49-47 lead on a Kenzie Pedersen three at the 2:39 mark, and led 52-50 thanks to a traditional three-point play by Krupke.
Javier got loose for a layup to tie the score at 52-52 heading into the final quarter.
Austin was consistent in all four quarters en route to her 24 points, finishing 10 of 15 from the field to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds for her fifth career double-double.
Junior guard Nicole Chuang contributed 14 points, knocking down three of the team's six three-pointers, while dishing out four assists with two steals.
Javier and Gonzalez added 11 points and two steals apiece. The Royals had 12 steals, helping turn 17 Bushnell turnovers into 16 points off those miscues. HIU took good care of the ball overall with 12 turnovers.
Krupke posted a team-high 20 points for the Beacons.
HIU is next in action on Wednesday, November 12, playing across the street from campus at Cal State Fullerton. The exhibition game against the Titans tips off at 7:00 p.m.
