Umpqua freshman Cielo Gonzalez handles the ball against Chemeketa. She finished with 16 points off the bench for the RiverHawks in a 70-48 win. (PHOTO: Michael Sullivan / News-Review)

WINCHESTER – It was a showdown of top teams in the NWAC South Region standings Wednesday night at Umpqua Community College.

The No. 6 UCC men saw their winning streak come to an end after seven games thanks to a narrow 84-81 loss to the Chemeketa Storm. The two teams traded the lead nine times in the back-and-forth game. Chemeketa (11-5; 5-1 South) built its largest lead of the game at 79-72 with 1:53 left to play in regulation. The Storm finished the game making 5-of-7 free throws to stay just ahead of UCC’s comeback attempt.

Umpqua (12-7; 5-1 South) got the deficit down to two points three times within the final 48 seconds, but the RiverHawks couldn’t get the stop they needed to complete the comeback.

Eric Klekas made six three-pointers for Umpqua and finished with a game-high 22 points. Connor Shaw added 20 for UCC. Dalton Renne scored 19 points to lead Chemeketa and Bryson Gray added 17 off the bench.

The Umpqua men dropped 5-1 in league games and fell into a tie for first in the NWAC South Region.

The No. 4 Umpqua women took over sole possession of second place in the South Region standings with a 70-48 win over Chemeketa. Cielo Gonzalez scored 16 points off the bench to lead the RiverHawks to their fifth consecutive win.

Taylor Stricklin and Darian Mitchell added double-doubles for UCC. Stricklin netted 15 points and 11 rebounds and Mitchell added 11 points and 11 boards. Kalan McGlothan scored 15 to lead Chemeketa (9-8; 4-2 South)

Umpqua (16-3; 5-1 South) built a double-digit lead by halftime and put the game out of reach by outscoring Chemeketa 20-7 in the final period.

Up next for the UCC men and women will be a trip to Portland for a showdown with the Panthers on Saturday.

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