Riverside, Calif. - Looking for their fourth straight win, the women's basketball team fell short, 73-68, to Hope International University, in Thursday's non-conference game. After a low scoring first quarter, both teams found their rhythm over the next three quarters. The loss drops the Golden Eagles record to 3-8 on the season, with their conference opener up next.

It was the Golden Eagles who jumped out to the early lead, but the Royals settled in and took a 14-10 lead by the end of the first quarter of play. Hope International increased their lead to 35-26 by the halftime buzzer.

The Golden Eagles quickly erased the deficit, using a 19-10 run to start the second half, and catch the Royals at 45-45. But Hope was once again able to regroup and maintain a slim 53-49 lead heading into the final quarter. In the final quarter of play, the Golden Eagles pushed and threatened the Royals but were unable to overcome the deficit.

Alexis Davis, who battled foul trouble for most of the contest still led the team with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting, in addition to nine rebounds, in just 17 minutes of play. Three other players each scored 12 points in the game (Elsie Mejia, Mikayla Stitt, and Wanna Wong). Stitt also rounded out a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds, while Arianna Sheehy dished out six assists to match her six points.

The women's basketball team will open conference play on Saturday night when they travel to the University of Antelope Valley (6-4), on Saturday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:45pm, at the Pioneers Event Center, in Lancaster, Calif.