EUGENE – The Umpqua men’s basketball team stayed right in the thick of the playoff chase with a 78-71 win against the Lane Titans on Wednesday. The victory keeps the RiverHawks in a tie for fourth place in the South Region, where only the top four teams will reach the postseason.

It was a slow start for UCC. The RiverHawks scored the first basket, but Lane responded with a 10-0 run to pull ahead by eight. The Titans led 20-11 midway through the first half before the RiverHawks went on a 16-2 to pull ahead 27-22 with 4:24 left to go before halftime.

Umpqua held the lead the rest of the game and took its largest advantage on a Connor Shaw lay-in that made it 75-54 with 5:23 remaining in the game. The UCC men almost let the large lead slip away. Umpqua went scoreless for three minutes while Lane went on an 11-0 run. The Titans pulled to within six points with just over a minute to play, but the RiverHawks managed to avoid the late game collapse.

Ethan Betts scored 16 points and Jordan Lehrer added 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Umpqua is now tied with Chemeketa for fourth place in the South Region. The RiverHawks and Storm trail third place Clackamas by one game and hold a one-game lead over Southwestern Oregon.

With one game left to go, the RiverHawks can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Clark College on Saturday, paired with a loss by Chemeketa. If both teams win or if both teams lose, there will be a tie for the fourth and final playoff berth. There’s also the possibility of a three-way tie for third or a three-way tie for fourth place.

Umpqua and Clark tipoff Saturday at 4 p.m.