FULLERTON, Calif. – Vanguard had its opportunities to defeat Hope International in a women's basketball showdown Saturday at Darling Pavilion, but the Lions encountered an oversized helping of Jeanette Fine.

The sophomore guard almost single-handedly powered the Royals to a 73-63 overtime victory, posting a double-double of 36 points and 13 rebounds. She shot 13 of 24 from the field and made five three-pointers. Fine carried the Royals with 14 points in the fourth quarter and seven more in the extra period, and she also had a key block and steal in the waning moments of regulation.

The 36 points allowed was a VU season-high for an opposing player.

Halle Si'i (FR/Long Beach, CA) scored a team-best 18 points but shot just 4 of 16 from the field. She also led the Lions with nine rebounds and four assists. Melissa Akullu (JR/Kampala, Uganda) added 14 points and seven rebounds while shooting 6 of 9 overall. Estefania Giner (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico) contributed 13 points and eight rebounds, while Sarah Matossian (SO/Laguna Niguel, CA) was the fourth VU double-digit scorer with 10 points.

The Lions shot 32.8 (21 of 64) percent from the floor, including just 1 of 7 in overtime. The Royals finished at 39.3 (24 of 61) percent, but hit four more threes (11-7) than the Lions.

VU won the battle of the boards, 47-37, including a 14-7 advantage on the offensive end. VU had a 19-9 edge in second chance points.

The Royals took great care of the ball with just six miscues, leading to a 16-6 advantage in points off turnovers. VU committed 11 turnovers.

The Lions earned the No. 2 seed in the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament next week in Atherton. VU finished the regular season 21-5 overall and 14-4 in GSAC play. HIU went 21-7 overall and tied Menlo for third place in conference at 13-5.

What Happened?: In a game that featured 15 ties and six lead changes, the Lions led 52-48 with 4:20 left in regulation on a layup by Si'i.

Fine scored seven of HIU's next nine points, sandwiching two layups around a three-pointer to tie the score at 57-57 with 1:41 to play.

Si'i converted two free throws as the Lions went back up by two, 59-57, at the 1:04 mark. The Royals called timeout – and on the ensuing possession – Giner stepped in front of a pass intended for Fine to give the Lions the ball with under a minute to play.

The Lions milked the clock and isolated Si'i at the top of the key. She drove left and Fine blocked her attempted layup out of bounds with 10 seconds remaining. Si'i, looking to avoid a five seconds call on the inbounds pass, had her attempt intercepted by Fine with 7.9 ticks left.

HIU called timeout again and inbounded near its bench. Ysabelle Halemano found Fine streaking across the key, and she converted her layup while getting fouled by Giner. Fine completed the three-point play to give HIU the 60-59 lead with just 3.2 seconds remaining.

VU called timeout to devise a play for Akullu. Alexa Silva (SO/Lemoore, CA) inbounded from near the Lion bench and lofted a perfect pass inside the key to Akullu, who got fouled by Casey Fust with 1.9 seconds on the clock.

Akullu missed the first free throw but drained the second to tie the score at 60-60. Keira McNamee's desperation heave as time expired missed.

The Royals dominated the overtime period as they outscored VU 13-3. The Lions got the first bucket on an Akullu layup to go up 62-60, but Fine erased that advantage with a triple. After an Akullu miss, Fine rebounded a wayward three-point attempt by Fust and got the put back as the Royals led 65-62.

Shailissa Jarrett closed the door on the Lions with back-to-back threes. Trailing 71-62 with 1:13 left in the extra period, the Lions missed their final six shots. Appropriately, Fine hit two free throws with 39 seconds left to seal the 10-point victory.

The Lions started out fast as they built a 7-0 lead just two and a half minutes into the game. However, HIU closed the gap and trailed 17-15 at the end of the first quarter.

VU went on an 8-0 run to begin the second period, and built a 25-17 advantage. Consecutive triples by Matossian and Si'i gave VU its largest lead of the game at 34-25. But the Royals scored seven of the final nine points to whittle their deficit down to 36-32 at the half.

HIU completed at 10-0 run that spanned the end of the second and beginning of the third quarters to take a 37-36 lead following two Fine free throws.

Why Is It Important?: Even with the loss, the Lions still earned a first round bye in the GSAC Tournament by virtue of being the No. 2 seed. Top-seeded Westmont also received a bye.

What Was Said?: "Tough loss. They (HIU) wanted it more," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "Fine took the game over and dominated us. We can't give up 36 points to a player and expect to win. It was a very disappointing game. We will bounce back. I'll be interested to watch film and see some stuff out there that I'm still shaking my head about. Give Hope credit. They earned it."

What's Next?: The Lions will face the winner of a first round matchup between third-seeded Menlo and No. 6 seed Arizona Christian. The host Oaks and Firestorm play on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. VU will take the court on Friday at 7:15 p.m.