COSTA MESA – Shiane Talley's layup with 5.5 seconds remaining spoiled Vanguard's furious second half comeback effort, as visiting Hope International escaped with a 69-67 win in Golden State Athletic Conference women's basketball action at Orange Coast College Thursday.

Talley scored eight of her team's 10 points in the fourth quarter, including back-to-back layups out of timeouts in the final minute. Talley finished with 20 points on 9 of 18 shooting as the Royals improved to 14-3 overall and 7-1 in the GSAC.

The 13th-ranked Lions overcame a 12-point third quarter deficit with a 17-4 run, setting up a wild finish that included four lead changes and three ties over the final six and a half minutes of the game.

Ana Resendiz amassed 26 of her game-high 29 points in the second and third quarters to pace the Royals. Resendiz made 11 of 15 floor shots, including seven three-pointers. However, the Lions bottled her up in the fourth period, holding her scoreless and paving the way for the comeback.

Melissa Akullu (JR/Kampala, Uganda) overcame first half foul trouble and spearheaded the Lion offensive surge with 18 of her team-high 20 points over the final 20 minutes. She added a game-high 12 rebounds to secure her eighth double-double of the season.

The Lions (11-4, 5-3 GSAC) got 19 points, five rebounds and three assists from Halle Si'i (FR/Long Beach, CA), who played all 40 minutes alongside backcourt mate Lauren Baumgartner (SR/Meridian, ID). Baumgartner finished with seven points.

Off the bench, Sarah Matossian (SO/Laguna Niguel, CA) chipped in eight points, four rebounds and a pair of steals.

HIU shot 39.3 (11 of 28) percent from distance, while the Lions countered at 27.3 (6 of 22) percent. VU out rebounded HIU 40-31.

What Happened?: Akullu's layup with 6:38 to go gave Vanguard a 60-59 lead, its first since early in the third period. The two teams then went back-and-forth, with Talley's layup allowing the Royals to retake the lead at 61-60.

Si'i drilled a triple from the left side to make it a 63-61 game, but Jeanette Fine banked in a driving layup on the next possession to knot things at 63-63.

After a couple of empty possessions for both teams, Akullu scooped in a layup from the right side as VU seized the 65-63 advantage. But Talley barreled toward the basket and muscled her way in for another layup to tie the score again.

Akullu got great position down low and powered her way in for the response, her bucket giving VU the 67-65 edge.

However, the Lions were unable to create any cushion as they missed their final five shots. HIU committed a turnover and missed a pair of three-point tries to open the door, but VU went scoreless over the last 3:10.

HIU corralled a rebound off of a Si'i three-point miss and called timeout with 47 seconds remaining. Out of the break, Talley drove right past the defense and hit a running layup to tie the score at 67-67.

The Lions called timeout and drew up an open look for Baumgartner, but her deep attempt from three was off as the Royals regained possession.

With 23 seconds to go, HIU called timeout. The Royals whittled the clock down and got the ball to the hot hand in Talley. She found another open lane down the right side and laid it in for the 69-67 HIU lead with 5.5 ticks on the clock.

After VU burned its final timeout, the Lions looked to Si'i or Baumgartner for a game-winning three, but neither Lion could get a shot off as time expired.

Why Is It Important?: The Lions fell into a four-way tie for third place in the GSAC with the loss.

What Was Said?: "Give Hope credit," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "They made big shots and we didn't get stops when needed."

What's Next?: The Lions travel up the 405 to face The Master's on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.