ROSEBURG, Ore. - The Portland CC men's basketball team came through with a crucial win at Umpqua today 73-70 to stay atop the NWAC South standings.

The Panthers now sit at 11-4 in the region standings, and are on the cusp of a repeat of their region championship earned last season. A win at Clackamas on Monday will give PCC at least a share of the title. 

This game was touch and go for the entire 40 minutes, as the host Riverhawks put up a strong challenge. In fact, UCC looked to be the better team on the way to a 14 point lead in the 1st half (22-8). Fortunately, the Panthers settled in and slowly climbed back in the game. The comeback was complete by the end of the period as Jackson Leach gave PCC a 36-35 lead with a three pointer inside the final minute of play.

After a couple of lead changes in the early part of the second half, Portland took control with a 12-0 run that made the score 63-52 with 8:49 to play. Umpqua fought back to within three points on two occasions, but Portland managed to get several key defensive stops, and a basket and three free throws from Daniel James in the final moments kept the Panthers in front.

Jackson Leach kept the offense clicking with 21 points and five assists. Jamie McGrail scored all 13 points of his points in the first half to keep PCC close.