FULLERTON, Calif. – The Vanguard men's basketball team lost to hot shooting Hope International, 79-68, in the regular season finale on Saturday at Darling Pavilion.

The Lions finished their season at 13-13 and 7-11 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Royals moved to 18-9 and 11-7 in conference play.

Both teams made 27 field goals but the Royals accomplished that number while taking 14 fewer shots. The big discrepancy came at the free throw line, where HIU made 21 of 29 overall, 72.4 percent. The Lions were 7 of 7 at the charity stripe. HIU shot 55.1 (27 of 49) percent for the game.

Forward Garrett White (SR/Post Falls, ID) posted team-highs of 24 points and seven rebounds while shooting 9 of 18 from the floor. He hit three triples in his final game with the Blue and Gold. White concluded his career with 1,091 points, putting him at No. 10 on the VU all-time list.

Isaac Davis (SR/Valencia, CA) collected a 14-point, 10-assist double-double in his last game as a Lion. The point guard also finished among the all-time greats in VU annals as his 362 career assists ranks No. 6 in the record book.

Phillip Willis (SR/San Diego, CA) added 10 points as the third VU double-digit scorer.

The Lions committed 20 turnovers that led to 21 HIU points. VU was even more opportunistic, converting 17 Royal turnovers into 29 points.

Jelani Horn led HIU with game-highs of 24 points and eight rebounds. He made 9 of 14 floor shots.

What Happened?: The Lions faced a double-digit deficit as Horn's layup opened up a 16-6 Royal advantage with 11:55 to go in the first half.

However, VU got hot and made six of its next seven shots over the next four minutes, piecing together a 15-5 run to knot the score at 21-apiece. Davis scored seven straight points, and back-to-back threes by Willis and White got the Lions back into the game.

Jackson Larsen (JR/El Cajon, CA) converted a traditional three-point play to provide the Lions their first lead at 27-26 with 5:52 remaining in the first frame. White extended the lead to three with a layup, and two Micah Swartz (FR/Newbury Park, CA) free throws resulted in VU's largest lead of five, 34-29, with 1:50 remaining.

The Royals waltzed to the line six times over the last 1:30, making five and whittling their deficit to 36-34 at intermission.

The two teams remained close over the first six minutes of the second half. White's layup pulled the Lions within 45-44, but the game turned from there.

Horn scored five points during a 10-0 HIU run to create separation, opening up a 55-44 lead and forcing a VU timeout.

The stoppage didn't help as HIU steadily increased its lead over the next several minutes. Gaven Ramirez made a layup, got fouled, and sank the free throw to put the Royals ahead 67-51.

White went out in a blaze of glory as he scored VU's final 11 points, including back-to-back treys. Fittingly, his last three buckets came on assists from Davis, polishing off the exceptional careers of the two-time All-GSAC standouts.

Why Is It Important?: VU struggled to stop teams in the second half over the last several games. HIU shot 60 percent (15 of 25) over the final 20 minutes.

What Was Said?: "I'm really proud of our seniors – Garrett, Isaac and Kody (Knox) – for fighting through and leading from the front in a challenging year with no gym," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday. "They were the epitome of resilience and consistency with their approach. Credit Hope tonight for playing a great second half and imposing their will physically. They are a really good team that could make a push in the postseason. Isaac and Garrett played great games and showed why they are all-conference players. We will keep building and our guys will be hungry to build on the legacy these seniors left."