Fullerton, CA- In the first official game of the season, the Hope International Royals seized a win (93-67) against the University of La Verne Leopards on Tuesday night in the Darling Pavilion.
Marissa Rendon (SR/Carson, CA) led in scoring with 14 points while going 6-9 from the floor, contributing to the Royal’s overall 54.4 shooting percentage of the night.
The Royals gained a head start at the beginning of the game as Ashley Carter-Wafer (JR/Riverside, CA) effortlessly drained a three pointer. Hope International pushed their offense by utilizing their outside shooters, Rendon and Alexis Perry (SR/Cerritos, CA), gaining a lead 17-2 over La Verne. The Leopards were held to only two points with 4:35 left in the first period, securing the large lead for the Hope International.
The Royals were able to capitalize on points off turnovers, allowing Nikki Andaya (JR/Benicia, CA) to score a jumper stretching the lead to 51-28 by the end of the half.
Hope International shot an impressive 57.1 percent in the first half, as opposed to the Leopards who shot 32.4 percent from the floor.
La Verne was able to make a slight comeback by matching Hope International evenly the rest of the game, but was unable to recover from the early deficit. Julia Pihl (FR/Oceanside, CA) made her presence known in the second half as she scored a long three pointer that contributed to her overall 12 points of the night.
Much of the Royal’s success came from 20 second chance points as they out-rebounded the Leopards 53-35, leading to their 93-67 victory.
The Royals will compete against Humboldt State on Nov. 19 in the Darling Pavilion. Tip off for the game will begin at 7:00 pm.
