UCC Mainstream Online

Riverhawks devour Lane

Kyndal Charleston’s 25 points spark UCC to victory, into first place


Riverhawk Asia Smith trails as Kyndal Charleston drives on Lane guard Shelby Snook. Umpqua beat Lane 85-66.
Dennis Wahlman / Mainstream
Riverhawk Asia Smith trails as Kyndal Charleston drives on Lane guard Shelby Snook. Umpqua beat Lane 85-66.

In the biggest basketball game of the year for Umpqua Community College, (18-5, 7-1 South) Kyndal Charleston came through at the most important time.

Charleston buried five 3-pointers in the first fifteen minutes of the contest, and the Riverhawks capitalized on a dismal shooting performance by Lane Community College (19-5, 6-2 South) to win in  dominating fashion 85-66.

The Riverhawks entered the contest riding a six game winning streak and had not lost since a heart-breaking 94-93 January 8 defeat to the Titans in Eugene.  UCC and Charleston showed from tip-off that this meeting would be different.

With three minutes into regulation, Charleston would hit a 3-pointer that would give UCC a 5-0 lead, and the Riverhawks would not look back.  Lane traded baskets with UCC over the next couple minutes, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Charleston and freshman Ashli Payne sparked an 8-0 run that pushed the lead to a 16-5 advantage.

 The UCC women picked up their intensity on the defensive end by collapsing the paint and limiting the Titan driving lanes.  Lane was turned into a jump shooting team that equated to 19 percent field goal shooting, along with just two first half 3-pointers on two of 28 shooting.

Five minutes remaining, Charleston buried her fifth 3-pointer of game, giving her 16 points for the half, and UCC a 29-16 lead.  The Riverhawks would finish the half strong behind freshman Kayla Bice’s play in the paint and on the fastbreak. Her 11 first half points helped send UCC into halftime with a 43-22 advantage.

Lane improved their shooting performance in the second half but could not keep up with the Riverhawks defensively. With 12:19 to play, the Titans cut the UCC lead to 60-45 on a 3-pointer from former Roseburg High standout Shelby Snook.  It would be the closest Lane would get.  UCC then increased their advantage to 72-54 with 7:58 to play on a nifty lay-in by freshman Romanalyn Inocencio. Charleston’s sixth and final 3-pointer of the night with 6:15 to play pushed the Riverhawk lead to 75-55, effectively eliminating any shot for a Titan comeback.

Charleston’s 25 point performance comes on the heels of Payne’s record tying 53 point performance against Portland.  The trend of different Riverhawks stepping up each night continues. “That’s one of the things I love about this group, is that it can be someone different every night. Our last game it was Ashli, tonight it was Kyndal and Kayla,” coach Dave Stricklin stated.

With the balance UCC women have on offense, and their ability to rebound, the Riverhawks have a legitimate shot at contending for the NWAACC championship.  “This was a big win for us. We defeated the defending NWAACC champions. It gives us the added confidence that we can compete with anyone,” said freshman Ashli Payne.

Charleston’s 25 points was a game high, while Kayla Bice matched her season high with 17 points.  Payne turned in another solid all-around performance with 18 points, 9 rebounds and six assists.  Lane’s Shelby Snook who scored a career high 44 points in their previous meeting, finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.


Lane (66)- Coburn 0-1 1-2 1, Snook 5-11 3-6 15, Jointer 0-1 0-2 0, Wright 1-4 0-0 2, Heehn 4-12 0-0 11, Duncan 2-18 1-2 6, Mahaffle 5-12 1-2 12, Tillman 0-0 0-0 0, Chanco 4-10 2-3 10, Walchi 3-10 0-2 9, Wright 0-1 0-0 0.

UCC (85)- Charleston 9-17 1-2 25, Sample 3-5 2-2 9, Bice 8-11 1-2 17, Hawkins 0-0 0-0 0, Inocencio 2-6 0-0 5, Morris 1-4 0-0 2, Payne 6-14 4-5 18, Smith 3-8 3-6 9.

Halftime Score- UCC 43-22 3-Point shots- LCC 10-47 (Duncan 1-14, Snook 2-6, Heehn 3-11, Mahaffle 1-4, Walchi 3-10) UCC 10-27 (Charleston 6-14, Sample 1-3, Payne 2-5, Inocencio 1-3) Rebounds- LCC 52 (Snook 10) UCC- 42 (Smith 14) Assists- LCC 10 (Wright 3) UCC- 21 (Inocencio, Payne 6).