Benedictine Mesa fought back from a double-digit halftime deficit and even grabbed the lead late in the second half, but Hope International closed strong to hand the Redhawks an 84-75 defeat in a thrilling contest on Saturday.

First Half: 
The Redhawks opened the game with energy, trading baskets early and taking their first lead on a three-pointer from Malik Payton at 16:34. Payton stayed hot, hitting another triple, while Isaiah Howard added one of his own to push Benedictine Mesa ahead 11-6. The defense was active, with Eric Blackwell and Payton delivering key blocks to keep Hope out of the paint.

However, Hope International responded with a barrage of threes from Addy G'Bye and Darvelle Wyatt, swinging momentum their way. Despite a late push from Benedictine Mesa—highlighted by a three-point play from Payton and free throws from Aiden Olmstead—Hope closed the half on a 13-2 run to take a 43-33 lead into the locker room.

Second Half: 
Benedictine Mesa came out firing after halftime. Damian Zivak opened the scoring with two free throws and a deep three, followed by Payton and Blackwell knocking down back-to-back triples to cut the margin to 44-47. The Redhawks tied the game at 51-51 on a layup from Kamron Robinson, and moments later, Zivak drilled another three to give Benedictine Mesa its first lead since the opening minutes at 58-56.

The Redhawks' surge continued as Payton buried his fourth three-pointer and Blackwell scored inside to make it 63-61 with 7:15 remaining. The home crowd roared as Benedictine Mesa looked poised for an upset.

Final Stretch: 
Hope International answered with composure. Jorren Edmonds and G'Bye hit back-to-back threes, and Haynes added key buckets in the paint to reclaim the lead. Despite late threes from Blackwell and relentless effort from Payton and Howard, the Royals capitalized on turnovers and free throws down the stretch, pulling away for the 84-75 win snapping the Redhawks season long win streak.

Key Players: 

• Malik Payton: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
• Isaiah Howard: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists
• Eric Blackwell: 11 points, 4 assists, 3 blocks

Looking Ahead: The Redhawks are back on the court on Thursday, January 15^th as they take on Life Pacific at home.