BOX SCORE
FULLERTON, Calif. --- Hope International held Biola to a poor shooting night which translated into one of the biggest upsets in the GSAC so far this year, winning 59-55 on Tuesday night at Darling Pavilion in Fullerton.
The Eagles fall to 3-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play while the Royals improve to 1-4 and 1-1 in conference.
It was just the second time Hope has defeated Biola in 33 games between the two teams. The only other Hope win came during the 1994-95 season when the Royals knocked off the Eagles 106-101 in La Mirada.
Biola struggled mightily from the field, hitting just 37.7 percent from the field and going 1-for-12 from beyond the arc. Hope on the other hand shot 47 percent and drained eight threes in the game.
Arron Boone led the way for the Royals with a game-high 23 points–16 in the second half, going 8-for-10 from the field. Ryan Sewitsky added 13 points.
The teams battled back and forth in the first half with senior forward Danny Jones tipping in a shot at the buzzer to knot the game at 25-25 at halftime.
In the second half, Biola seemed to find its stroke and opened the period with a 13-6 run to take a 38-31 lead. Hope slowly worked its way back into the game, tying the score at 42-42 with 8:39 remaining. The teams traded baskets through the next five minutes until a deep three by Trent Hardeman gave the Royals a 53-48 lead with 3:42 on the clock.
Biola trailed by seven points with 1:14 to go, but went on a frantic run to pull within two as Jones hit a layup and was fouled to make it 57-55 with 37 seconds left. However, he missed the freebie and, even though sophomore Danny Campbell was able to secure the rebound, he was unable to convert the putback and Hope came away with the ball. The Royals converted two of their four free throws down the stretch with the Eagles unable to score again, giving Hope the upset victory.
Jones led Biola with 17 points and 10 rebounds while sophomore forward Rocky Hampton added 14 points and 10 boards.
Biola opens the home portion of its schedule with a big GSAC matchup on Thursday (Nov. 29), hosting No. 22 Point Loma Nazarene at Chase Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m.
