Umpqua escapes Panthers
Four players record double figures in points and rebounds
A win’s a win; just ask the Northwest Athletic Conference’s No. 1 ranked Umpqua Community College women’s basketball team. UCC overcame 27 turnovers to defeat the visiting Portland Community College Cougars Saturday, 79-76.
“We are really fortunate to come out of this one with a win,” head coach Dave Stricklin said. “So much of our schedule comes down to how you match-up with different teams. Whether those teams are smaller or more aggressive, we have been able to beat teams regardless of how we match-up.”
The Cougars (10-11, 3-4) scored 17 points off Riverhawk (20-2, 7-0) turnovers and led by as much as 10 points in the first half of play.
“I think we wanted this more tonight; it was a team effort,” Breannie Robinson said. “We wanted this win for our coaches and for ourselves.”
In her first start of the season, Robinson made the most of it. The sophomore forward finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and four assists.
“I think she (Robinson) was probably the difference tonight,” Stricklin said. “That’s why we had her in there to start with, we knew they were athletic and she did well for us.”
Robinson wasn’t the only Riverhawk to turn in a solid performance against the Panthers. Robinson was one of four UCC players to record a double-double. Sawyer Kluge contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Ashli Payne added 19 points and 14 boards. Anna Mumm finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
“The game was ugly,” Payne said. “But we were able to get out with the win because we run harder than anyone else in practice. We just gotta keep the momentum running and stay focused if we want to go into the NWAC tourney as the number one seed.”
The win bumped the Riverhawk’s win streak to nine games but maintained their undefeated record heading into the home stretch of league play.
“I’m excited for the second half of league play,” Kluge said. “Everyone has seen each other already, so these games aren’t going to be easy to win. We can’t get ahead of ourselves, we have to take it game by game.”
UCC has five wins this season versus the top eight teams in the NWAC. The Riverhawks have defeated the defending NWAC champions Columbia Basin (No. 6), Lower Columbia (No. 4), Bellevue (No. 5) and its league rival the Lane Titans (No. 7) twice. With the exception of their January 14, 69-61, win at home over the Lane, all five victories have come on the road or at neutral sites. UCC will have to visit the No. 7 Titans Wednesday, for their next game.
“Lane is going to be another fun and competitive game,” Robinson said. “We are going to get their best shot, and they are going to get ours.”
PORTLAND (76) – Diamond Bolden 10-21 2-2 22, Woods 6-21 6-8 20, Akles 6-23 1-6 13, Tower 1-3 0-0 3, Johnson 3-8 1-2 7, Edie 1-4 0-0 3, Jones 3-6 2-2 8. Totals – 30-86 12-20 76.
UMPQUA (79) – Sawyer Kluge 5-15 7-8 20, Inocencio 1-7 2-3 4, Payne 8-18 2-2 19, Robinson 7-9 0-0 14, Mumm 6-12 0-2 12, Davis 0-1 0-0 0, Pape 2-5 0-0 5, Jackson 1-3 3-4 5, Bice 0-2 0-0 0. Totals – 30-72 14-17 79.
Halftime Score – UCC 42-38.
3-Point Shots – PCC 4-18 (Woods 2-7, Tower 1-2, Edie 1-4, Johnson 0-1, Akles 0-2), UCC 5-25 (Kluge 3-10, Pape 1-3, Payne 1-6, Inocencio 0-6). Fouls – PCC 16, UCC 13. Rebounds – PCC 39 (Bolden 7), UCC 67 (Robinson, Payne 14). Assists – PCC 16 (Bolden 7), UCC 19 (Inocencio 8). Turnovers – PCC 11, UCC 27.