COSTA MESA -- Coming off an impressive win against #1 Arizona Christian, Vanguard men's basketball returned to the OCC Court to take on the Hope International Royals Thursday night.  HIU entered the game second in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings, with Vanguard hoping to jump into third with a win.  Both teams were not in sync in the first half, but the Royals would slowly scoot away from the Lions in the second, staking down an 81-71 victory.  VU falls to 9-7 overall and 3-5 in conference action, with the Royals improving to 12-5 overall and 5-3 in league play.

What Happened? The box score did not lean heavily in favor of HIU and the Lions got 22 points from Phillip Willis (SR/San Diego, CA) and 23 points from Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID), making them the top-two scorers in the game.  Willis even led all players with 11 rebounds to collect the only double-double of the contest.  The difference was in the percentages though, as despite shooting 50% from the field in the second half, VU let the Royals shoot 64.3%.  Hope also made three triples in the second period after going 1-for-10 in the first frame, with HIU also wining the turnover battle.

Willis opened the scoring in the first period for the Blue and Gold by nailing two threes, as Isaac Davis (SR/Valencia, CA) collected his first two assists of the night with textbook passes.  The Lions would fall behind but soon rallied to tie the game at 10-all, but after that, both sides struggled to score consistently.  Vanguard would inch ahead over the next 10 minutes, as White and Jackson Larsen (JR/El Cajon, CA) netted 10 points combined for the home side over that span. HIU tied the game at 25-25 with 4:04 to go, as both teams suddenly increased the tempo of the match.  White made five points to close out the half, with Willis and Kody Knox (SR/Porter Ranch, CA) putting up two points each.  VU shot 36.4% from the field in the first half, with HIU shooting 44.1%.

Vanguard was ahead 34-31 at the break and both White and Willis knocked down jumpers within the first two minutes of play in the second half to put VU ahead 38-33.  Back-to-back layups for the Royals forced VU to call a timeout, but Davis drained a three in response to make it 41-37.  HIU struck back with seven unanswered points to snag a 44-41 edge at the 15:50 mark, a lead they would never surrender.  The Lions were able to keep it close over the next three minutes but the visitors would open the gap to nine at 64-55 with 6:17 to go.  Despite the task in front of them, the Lions made an 11-3 run to put the pressure on the Royals, taking the deficit down to 67-66 with 3:39 to go off a beautiful catch-and-shoot three from Bryson Metz (FR/Vancouver, WA).  But the comeback attempt would fade over the final two minutes, as Hope went on a 10-5 streak to close out the game.

The Lions shot at a 42.4% clip from the field in the contest, going 33.3% from deep and 93.3% from the free throw line.  The Royals shot 53.2% from the field, 28.6% from beyond the arc, and 73.3% from the charity stripe.  VU made more threes (7-4), free throws (14-11, with both teams getting 15 attempts), and rebounds (34-30 in total, with Vanguard leading both offensive and defensive categories) in the game.  But the Blue and Gold turned it over 17 times compared to 11 for the Royals, as a 19-14 lead in points off turnovers played into the hands of HIU.

Davis had seven points and seven helpers on the night, with Metz scoring 10 points and dishing out four assists. 

Why is it Important?  The GSAC has essentially reached the midway mark of the regular season and VU is now outside the top six, a game behind Westmont and William Jessup, who are each 4-4.  There is now quite the jam behind ACU for second in the GSAC, with Menlo, OUAZ, HIU, and The Master's all tied at 5-3.  Vanguard is now 2-2 against HIU in competitive games and 57-22 all-time.

What was Said?  "Our guys came to play and they really competed," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday.  "We did so many good things early in the game, but it didn't continue in the second half.  Hope is such a good team and they take advantage of mistakes as well as anyone.  Unfortunately, we made too many mistakes to beat a good team.  17 turnovers for the game and giving up 50 points in the second half is not a recipe to win in the GSAC.  We have an opportunity to bounce back against TMU on the road and our guys will be ready to go."

What's Next? The Mustangs await the Lions in Santa Clarita on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.