Sophomore Sendoff
UCC men charge past Linn-Benton, 65-55
In the final home game for Umpqua Community College men’s basketball team, a trio of sophomores made the most of it.
Guards Torrmall Thomas and Chris Mock sparked a 25-6 first-half run, combining for 17 points. Point guard Mishima Gray picked up the slack in the second-half, scoring 16 of his game high 19 points, en route to a 65-55 Riverhawk victory.
UCC (6-19, 2-11) entered the contest against the Linn-Benton Roadrunners (5-18, 1-12) looking to eliminate a six game losing streak and hoping to provide a positive ending to a rough season.
From tip-off, Umpqua took control of the game. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Mock and Thomas highlighted a 10-2 run in the opening three minutes of the contest. With 12:10 remaining in the first half, the Riverhawks pushed their lead to 22-5, on Mock’s second trey. Following a Linn-Benton time-out, UCC’s offense would sputter, going into half-time with just a 27-14 advantage.
In the second-half, Gray would prove to be the cure for Umpqua’s offensive troubles. A pair of passes from the point guard created back-to-back lay-up opportunities for sophomore Jonathan Bolston, giving UCC a 41-31 lead with 10:06 remaining. One of Gray’s career high 14 rebounds led to a put back opportunity pushing the lead to a 44-31 advantage with 8:13 to play.
Down the stretch, Gray erased any hopes of a Roadrunner comeback by converting on 8/9 free throws, including all four of his attempts in the final minute of the ball game. “I wanted to affect tonight’s game in different ways,” Gray stated.
“I thought Mishima played well tonight. He was very good at distributing the ball, and played with great poise down the stretch,” head coach Daniel Leeworthy stated.
“Overall I was pleased with how hard we fought. We got on a roll in the beginning of the ballgame, but ended up having to find other ways to score. Our guys really showed their toughness,” Leeworthy added.
However it was bittersweet victory for the UCC sophomores in their final home game together. “I was very emotional. These are people I have played with for a long time. I may never see them again,” Thomas lamented.
The sophomore made the most of their final game. Gray had a double-double with a game high 19 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Thomas contributed a double-double as well with 11 points and 10 boards, while Mock added 11 points and three steals. Bolston provided a solid effort from the bench with nine point and five rebounds.
Linn –Benton (55)- Caleb Wilson 6-14 3-7 19, Flentroy 1-4 3-6 5, Cooley 2-7 0-0 5, Moore 0-4 1-2 1, Karakey 0-1 0-0 0, Bornstein 2-7 0-1 4, Stark 0-1 0-0 0, Vicknair 4-10 0-1 12, Warren 0-2 1-2 1. Totals 19-60 13-24 55
Umpqua (65)- Mishima Gray 5-11 9-11 19, Caylor 0-0 0-0 0, Bolston 3-7 3-6 9, Waddington 3-7 0-0 8, Thomas 5-8 0-1 11, Mock 3-8 3-4 11, Wattman 2-9 0-0 4, Corpening 1-7 1-2 3, Matteo 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-57 16-24 65
Halftime Score- UCC 27-14. 3-Point Shots- Linn-Benton 4-10 (Wilson 3-7, Cooley 1-2) UCC 5-22 (Waddington 2-6, Mock 2-6, Thomas 1-2) Fouls Linn-Benton 18, UCC 18. Rebounds – Linn-Benton 47 (Bornstein, 11), UCC 43 (Gray, 14) Assists- Linn-Benton 1 (Flentroy), UCC 13 (Gray, 6) Turnovers- Linn-Benton 11, UCC 14.