LONGVIEW, WA – The Umpqua men’s basketball team used a hot shooting first half to build a 13-point lead over Lower Columbia, but the RiverHawks offense faded after halftime and UCC let the Red Devils rally for a 78-73 victory Friday night.
Umpqua shot a blistering 54.8% from the floor in the first half and took a 13-point advantage with 5:33 left before the break. Lower Columbia cut the deficit down to just eight before heading to the locker room, but the RiverHawks stretched the lead back to 13 with 15 minutes to play.
UCC started to go cold from that point on. Lower Columbia went on a 15-5 run over the next six minutes to pull within 58-55 and it was a race to the finish.
The Red Devils tied the game at 65 with 4:45 left and later built as much as a seven-point lead in the final minutes. Umpqua never got closer than four points after trailing by seven.
The loss is the first of the early season for the UCC men. Eric Klekas scored 22 to lead the RiverHawks. He shot 6-of-10 from the 3-point line. Ethan Betts added 19.
Brandon Cotton led Lower Columbia with 22 points.
Up next, the Umpqua men will face Bellevue at Lower Columbia College on Saturday. The game tips off at noon.
